At Home, Chatham Business Owners Celebrate Girls' Night Out

Thursday night was shopping night for lots of local community women, although they were spending their dollars in a place that did not resemble a store in the least.

They were, instead, supporting the first-ever shopping event put on by the Women Business Owners of Chatham (WBOC). Several Chatham residents who have home-based businesses got together to have a "Girls' Night Out" to promote their businesses in a relaxed and social environment.

"We would call each other up ask business questions once in a while, so I said, 'This is silly'—why don't we all just get together and help each other out?" said Jessica Romeo, a Chatham resident who owns Scrumbscious Home Baked Goods and came up with the WBOC concept. Romeo put out a wide variety of tempting desserts, such as brownies, which were tastefully paired with a New Jersey Vineyard Raspberry dessert wine.

Most of these women run their own home-based businesses and also find time to volunteer at their children's schools or town establishments. They also balance their family life and business successes while raising children.

Chatham resident Dawn Paskilades hosted the event at her home, and when guests entered the main foyer, there was a welcome table full of information about the event. Each business had a uniquely decorated table containing items for sale.   

Products featured everything from the latest designer jeans, handbags and fashion trends to homemade foods and yoga for kids. Business consultants were also present.

The club started with a few members and now has 10.

"We learn from one another because each of us has different strengths," Romeo said.

The group meets every month and chooses a discussion topic, such as Facebook marketing. By sharing their experiences with each other, the women feel it empowers each of their individual businesses.   

"I see how powerful it is—by brainstorming and collaborating, you get ideas you never thought of," said Triple Win Sales owner Laura Ali Nonnenmacher. Her business provides sales, marketing coaching and strategy planning for businesses.

The women who attended the event were interested in getting involved in the work force to start a business themselves. They also came to support the local vendors.

Gina Cariddi from Millburn heard about the even from a friend and decided to do a little shopping to show her support. "It's a great idea," she said.

At the front entrance stood WBOC member Jen Haire, who is a certified children's yoga instructor and owner of Jen Zen Yoga. Most of her work is done in elementary schools and preschools with children between the ages of two to 12 years old. She also rents space for children's birthday parties in yoga studios in both Maplewood and Chatham.

"My husband helps me on Saturday mornings," she said, while discussing how she juggles her responsibilities. "I volunteer at The Library of the Chathams a lot. When I'm not doing that, I am teaching yoga."

Haire also volunteers for Southern Boulevard Elementary School, and is a den leader for her son's Cub Scout troop. She also works at the PowerflowKids Yoga Studio in Chatham.

In a back room, Amanda Starley had a table for her company, Moxie Papers and Gifts.

"Before I had kids, I was a pilot, and my husband is a pilot as well, and we both couldn't be gone at the same time," said Starley. "So when I became pregnant, I stopped flying and started going into stationery and gifts."

Her items include personalized stationery and individualized cutting boards.

"The majority of my sales are online," Starley said.

With a two-year old and a newborn, she says, "the last eight months were really rough. I just tell myself it's going to get better—that's just what you have to do."

The enticing aroma coming from the kitchen was a combination of home baked goods. Stuffed breads from Mangia Feast and desserts from Scrumbtious were in the kitchen, ready to be had.

Paskalides, who owns Mangia Feast, was selling out of many items for her evening inventory. "I think we had about 80 people come through tonight," she said.

A mother of four who volunteers in Chatham schools, Paskalides makes homemade gourmet stuffed breads using recipes her grandmother used when she was a little girl.

"The name Mangia [which means 'eat' in Italian] came to mind because this is what my grandmother would say every time we sat down to eat one of our stuffed bread creations—'Mangia, mangia,'" Paskalides said.

The WBOC is currently working on creating a logo for the group and wants to establish a directory with a list of Chatham businesses, complete with contact information and business descriptions. The group hopes the directory will give residents a handy reference to do their shopping locally.