Small boutique owners hope ‘Affair of the Heart’ trade show boosts business post-pandemic

The pandemic put a strain on businesses, especially those who specialize in handcrafted items. Vendors spent Friday setting up for this weekend’s Braum’s ‘Affair of the Heart’ trade show. Tammy Cotton set up her section, filled with hundreds of handmade bows. Cotton runs 2 Broke Sisters with her actual sister, Donna Smith.

She said they’re used to seeing little girls fill baskets with colorful hair accessories, but everything changed when last year they were forced to go online.

“I did more mail orders because I had people that were like, ‘Okay, we know you’re here, but we’re afraid to come out, we don’t want to come out,'” explained Cotton. Across the expo center, Rona Slaton and her family set up their shop.

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