Submitted by: Lydia Place
Thursday June 8 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Downtown Bellingham’s Depot Market Square will become Bellingham Fashion Week with a purpose. Lydia Place, along with event partners Whatcom County Association of Realtors, Labels Consignment and Wise Buys Thrift Store present Handbags for Housing, Downtown Bellingham’s largest ladies night (gentlemen welcome), fashion extravaganza and handbag exchange. Hundreds of handbags, a beauty bar, delicious appetizers from Crave Catering, cocktail and wine offerings, along with local boutiques and retailers will come together under one roof (and a 3,200 square foot tent), to showcase the sheer power of local fashion and philanthropy. Tickets are available via the event website handbagsforhousing.com, with all proceeds benefitting Lydia Place, working to end homelessness in our community.
“Lydia Place and the work they do in our community to end homelessness is so important to me, and my staff at Labels.” said Sage Bishop, Labels Consignment Shop Owner and Handbags for Housing Fashion Show Sponsor. “I have found Lydia Place to be so easy to work with, and I see this same type of accessibility, personalization, and ease when someone needs assistance with housing. As a partner in this unique fundraiser, it’s been such a joy to see its evolution. It (Handbags) keeps getting better and bigger; from the first event in 2013 with 175 attendees, to today with 400+ attendees and a 40+ model fashion show at the Depot Market Square, Handbags for Housing has become one of our community’s favorite events, and a special part of our community giveback at Labels. Thank you lovely, local, Lydia Place!”
From Coach, to Dooney and Burke, and even obscure designer bags, Handbags for Housing has a tote, clutch, wallet and bag for every fashionista. The epic and infamous handbag bazaar, starts out with an assortment of over 400 bags that have been donated for the event and to Wise Buys Thrift Store throughout the year. As attendees arrive and their purses get added to the bazaar, the tables filled with bags begin to rise skyward, reaching upwards of 700 handbags. Purse collector and fashionable philanthropist, Sally Poorman, recalls, “The first time I attended Handbags was two years ago, and I couldn’t believe what I’d been missing! Tables upon tables of every style and fashion of bag, truly something for everyone, surrounded by the most upbeat and heart filling atmosphere. It was professional, sophisticated, and so clearly full of the love this organization has for their work. I was hooked immediately! They’ve made a fun and seemingly effortless way for anyone to get involved in such a critical cause.”
Now entering its fifth year, Handbags for Housing is bringing the handbag back into the spotlight. From the bazaar featuring over 500 gently used bags, the silent auction of 25+ new and nearly news bags, to the live auction bags walking the runway and then being auctioned mid-show, the purse is taking center stage in 2017. In addition, event attendees are being challenged to “fill the purse,” a large acrylic purse at the event that will attempt to be filled to the brim by the end of the evening. Purse lovers can deposit whatever change and/or monthly support commitment envelopes they see fit, into the purse, and see their contributions add up to real change.
With all event activities combined, Lydia Place hopes to raise $60,000 in support of new permanent supportive housing programs like Bell Tower and Baker Place, as well as counseling services and parenting support. “For every three homeless adults you see on our streets, there is a homeless child out there that you don’t see. Lydia Place is committed to getting kids out of cars and unfit living conditions,” said Executive Director Emily O’Connor. “Through events like Handbags for Housing, this amazing community is showing its dedication to vulnerable children. Lydia Place has roughly 150 housing placements at any given time, we need 60-80 more to make that happen. If we can get it right for the kiddos sleeping in cars today, we will have succeeded in disrupting the cycle of homelessness. Together, we have every confidence that we can create enough housing capacity, support and opportunity to end family homelessness. ”
Whether your first event or your fifth, get your ticket, grab your handbag – and head to Handbags for Housing- where handbags create more than a fashion statement, they create hope for the future.
Tickets, sponsorship, and handbag donations available by visiting handbagsforhousing.com
For more details on Handbags for Housing, Lydia Place, images, or to learn more contact event organizer Shultzie Willows at shultziew@lydiaplace.org.
