Last modified: Sunday, November 4, 2007 2:04 AM PST Shop til ya drop By Sara Mattos Argus Observer Ontario - Are you looking for that perfect holiday gift? If so, you will not want to miss the return of Holiday Boutique. Back for its second year, this multi-business event is once again under the direction of Arbonne International Independent Consultant Executive Area Manager Debbie Tanaka, Ontario, and Cookie Lee Independent Jewelry Consultant Unit Manager II Jeri Kelly, McCall (formerly of Fruitland). According to the duo, the boutique, which will be open 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday, is sure to have something special for everyone on your shopping list. The event, scheduled at the Ontario Holiday Inn, will feature 21 different vendors — 19 of them local — and Tanaka said the boutique will provide the community with a one-stop shopping experience. Kelly added there will be everything from home decor and handmade wooden baskets to jewelry, clothing, skin care products, toys and more. The businesses showcased at the boutique this year will be Cookie Lee Jewelry, Arbonne International, The Longaberger Co., At Home America, Pampered Chef, Modbe, Dazzle Designs, Stampin’ Up, Creative Memories, Kiddo Candles, Life’s Little Moments, Sergio Lub Bracelets, The Body Shop, Joo’els, Scentsy, Watkins, Discovery Toys, Italian Stallion Charms, Swiss Colony Occasions, Salt City Candles and PartyLite. “We are all a little bit different, yet not competitively,” Kelly said about each of the vendors. The women both said they are hoping, with the early-scheduled date, to draw shoppers in before the big, day-after-Thanksgiving Friday. Kelly said she is concerned that everyone “goes right past” Ontario to Boise for shopping. “I want to see the community grow,” she said. “I want to see us keep people here in the Ontario/Fruitland hub. There is so much here to offer. We definitely want to share that.” Both Tanaka and Kelly have successful, home-based businesses and said the boutique idea came about last year after brainstorming together. “We got our heads together and said ‘Wouldn’t it be great to help other people who have their own businesses, and get them together to network?’” Tanaka said. Kelly added that both she and Tanaka were in agreement with what kind of event they wanted to hold. “The actual bazaar-type thing was not exactly what we wanted,” she said. “We were wanting more home-based businesses, nothing commercialized.” Tanaka said the location was chosen after talking over her “vision” for the event with Holiday Inn’s Catering and Events Sales Manager Tami Hart. “It was just from talking to people,” Tanaka said of the decision for the boutique’s location. “We are a real networking group of people, and that is how you need to grow your businesses when you are an independent consultant.” Both she and Kelly noted their line of work is a “networking” business, not a “netsitting” business. “It is all about how you apply yourself,” Kelly said. “We just realize how important it is to communicate and work as a group to get our businesses growing.” And growing is just what the boutique has done during the last year. According to Tanaka, the boutique housed 12 vendors last year, but because of the community response received, everyone involved, plus some, wanted to do it again this year. “I think it surprised both of us last year with the response we got,” Kelly said. “The gals that did it last year said they definitely wanted to do it again this year. It was definitely worth their time.” Having grown considerably in numbers this year, Tanaka said they have now reached the room’s total occupancy limit. “That’s all we can fit in the big room at Holiday Inn,” she said. She added there is a waiting list with others who want to be involved, and noted there was talk about expanding the boutique into another room. However, the pair said they have decided against that for this year. “Maybe next year,” Tanaka said. Kelly noted if they decided to have another room people might feel “out of the circle” because it is down the hall from the boutique’s original room. She added they wanted smaller, more personable booths. “We want it as a boutique. It’s not a bazaar. It’s a boutique,” she said. Tanaka said she wanted the community to know that everyone is invited, and noted there is no admission price to attend. She added she hopes the community knows what the various vendors are doing and what is available to them. “We want people to know we are here,” she said.