When Shannon-May Pringle thought about the businesses along historic Water Street in Saint Andrews, she realized many of them are owned by women.
It got her thinking about how to attract more people to town in the months when temperatures are a bit colder and the pace of life is a little slower — but also the success of women in business.
“I want to be open year-round, I want to be sustainable,” she said. “To do that, we need people to know that Saint Andrews is open 12 months of the year.”
Several of the businesses got together in February, Leah Bartlett from Seaside Beach Resort, Katy McDonald from LH Boutique, Gabby Duran from the Algonquin Resort, Shawn Richard and Tina Howlett of Café Drewhaven, Margot Berlenger from Marée, Kelly Conley from My Space Giftshop, and Andrea Vance of Warm and Coasty, and they validated her idea.
And Spring Fever by the Sea was born.
The pinnacle of the weekend was a fashion show at Cafe Drewhaven. The show incorporated many businesses including Pringle’s Marmalade, Jona and Jessies, The Whale Store, and local fashion designer and artist Ginny Simard.
It was moderated by local resident and actor Karen Wadall and CHCO-TV and The Courier’s Vicki Hogarth.
Conley and McDonald helped transform the individual pieces into eight themes, totalling 39 looks. Those included: a coffee date on Water Street, a morning trip to the farmers market, going golfing at the Algonquin Resort, a garden party, a seaside stroll, iconic whale watching, and finally after dark.
“The Business Improvement Association (BIA) and Explore Saint Andrews got behind us and provided funds to help us promote it and invest in decor,” Pringle said. “So that the fashion show could then be a fundraiser.”
The funds will go toward creating a business scholarship for women, something Pringle said would have been vital when she returned to post-secondary education at the age of 28 years old, which meant she didn’t qualify for any support.
“Because so many women start businesses or are solo entrepreneurs in most regards, they’re often left out of statistics and financial opportunities, and recognition for what they contribute to their communities,” she said. “The long term fundraising that we want to do through this event is to establish a scholarship that women wanting to pursue university, specifically business studies, can access and there is no age limit.”
The event was sold out, Pringle said. It ended up selling eight more than the limit of 80, with the group aiming to keep the show intimate. She said the group is already thinking about expanding to a twice-a-year event.
Pringle is grateful to McDonald and Conley for their fashion expertise.
“Beyond that, it was so much fun,” she said. “Although spring fever did originate with me, it is absolutely not possible without every single person that jumped on board and not just those that are organizing it, but all the businesses that were like, sign us up, we want to participate.”
