Hop on board for Les Boutiques de Noel 2013
Taking the reins of a signature holiday shopping extravaganza that’s nearly four decades old would be a huge undertaking for anyone. However, motherdaughter team Kathy Ross and Lauren Wooley are up for the task and pulling out all of the stops as co-chairs of the 39th annual Les Boutiques de Noel, held Nov. 21-23, at the Bossier Civic Center, 620 Benton Road in Bossier City.
This year’s event will offer a New Orleans-style shopping experience with the theme “Hop on Board! A French Quarter Christmas.”
“The theme is sort of like the famous New Orleans streetcar, and we’re ‘jumping on the streetcar’ to go to Royal Street to shop. It’s going to have a feel of the French Quarter,” Wooley said.
The festivities will kick off 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Nov. 20 with a Preview Party featuring live Second Line music by jazz band Blanc et Noir, a silent auction, specialty cocktails and food catered by Silver Star Smokehouse.
Through the years, Les Boutiques de Noel, which is French for “the little shops of Christmas,” has grown into the area’s premier shopping event of the holiday season, known for its vast array of specialty shops and items. More than 100 vendors from the nine-state area participate each year, attracting as many as 6,000 shoppers each year.
Wooley knows about the excitement firsthand. “I’ve shopped there for three years, and it’s a really unique shopping experience. There are so many different types of vendors and specialty items, plus you can get things customized,” she said.
The marketplace-style setup allows shoppers a chance to visit at all of their favorite places and discover new favorites, all under one roof.
Returning vendors include crowd favorites like the Haynesville-based Killgore Pharmacy and Gift Shop, which has been a staple merchant at the event for nearly a decade.
“It’s very well-organized, the participation is very good and there’s always a wide variety of vendors to provide an upscale type of shopping experience,” store manager Beverlee Killgore said. “The crowd is always wonderful, and the people who host the event are very good and vendor-friendly.”
Killgore Pharmacy’s most popular items include personalized plates and banners.
“They offer all of these beautiful ceramic plates, door hangers and other items that they customize,” Wooley said.
Other merchants will include Baldwin’s Jewelers in Ruston; J. Hilburn, which offers custom-made clothing and personal styling for men; popular Shreveport women’s boutique Zoe’s and many more.
Of course, Les Boutiques de Noel isn’t just a win for shoppers and merchants, but it is the annual fund-raiser for the Shreveport Opera. All proceeds go toward the 64-yearold opera company and its touring arm, the Shreveport Opera Express, which has brought nearly 100 educational performances to more than 50,000 Bossier Caddo, DeSoto and Webster parish students.
“Last year, we raised $125,000, so we would like to reach that, if not more. It’s always good to do that or better,” Wooley said.
Market place hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Nov. 21 and Nov. 23; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 20. Admission is $10 and free for ages 12 and younger. Senior citizen and military discounts are available.
Admission to the preview party is $125 per person. Sponsorships are available for $300. Attire is black tie optional. Complimentary valet parking is available. Call Kim Fitzgerald at 426-0479 or email at kim.fitz@att.net for reservations.
If you’re interested in participating as a merchant, email Karen Bryant at karenena65@bellsouth.net and include an address and contact person.
Call co-chairs Ross at 393-2164 or email at rcrosskey@aol.com; or Wooley at 426-8742 or email at nwyrktheater@ aol.com; or visit Les Boutiques de Noel at www.lesboutiquesdenoel.com for more information.
– Donecia Pea
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