Parrish small biz expo set for Saturday

Gretchen Fowler and Ashley Fialkowski were hoping to attract about 20 vendors when they began planning a small business expo for Parrish businesses. They had 53 by the time registration ended Oct. 1.

That left no doubt in their minds that Parrish residents and the community’s small businesses were hungry for a new event.

Admission to the public is free for the expo, set for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday on the grounds of Parrish United Methodist Church, 12180 U.S. Hwy. 301 N.

“We had more than 100 vendors ask about it from all over Parrish. I am thinking it will be a repeat event,” said Fowler, who has been a mainstay in Parrish village life, serving in leadership capacities with the Parrish Civic Association and the History of Parrish Endeavor committee.

Fowler and her husband Freddie, a retired Marine, founded the Anthony Fowler Foundation in memory of their 11-year-old son who lost life in an accident in Temecula, Calif., in 2012.

Funds raised by the expo will go into the Anthony Fowler Foundation to support families of children in Parrish who have faced or are facing a life-ending tragedy.

“Both of us own businesses in Parrish and we were discussing having a fall festival or something like that for the community,” Fialkowski said of the genesis of the expo.

Community-wide events remain a rarity in Parrish, with the notable exception of Parrish Heritage Day and chili cookoff, events at Florida Railroad Museum and Parrish Arts Council events.

“If we are going to do something, why don’t we do something to benefit the small businesses and get the community outside for an event?” Fialkowski said.

Setup for the expo begins Friday, and tents will be erected Saturday morning before the start of the expo.

“We set our sights low and it has been pretty overwhelming,” Fialkowski said. “The outpouring of support from our community has been overwhelming and humbling. In spite of all the growth that has come to Parrish, we have retained that sense of community and helping your neighbor. That’s who we are and we don’t want to lose that.”

An outdoor location was chosen because Parrish lacks a building large enough to house the event. In addition to the vendors, who each paid a $25 registration fee, planned are live music by Kristina Furey, hamburgers, hot dogs, cotton candy and other fast-food treats, a kids obstacle course by the Parrish Fire Department and more.

This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Parrish small biz expo set for Saturday."