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If being treated like a queen sounds appealing, Girls Night Out may be just what you’re looking for. Now in its eighth year in downtown Olympia, the event is a chance for women to come together, explore downtown and pick up gifts and prizes along the way. “It’s really a great time for the retail community to honor women,” says Jeannine Kempees, owner of Belleza Ropa and one of the event’s organizers. “Each vendor thinks about what they have that women want.”

Girls Night Out Olympia
The collective energy of women coming together downtown is inspiring, says Belleza Ropa owner Jeannine Kempees. Photo courtesy: Belleza Ropa

Over 60 businesses will be participating in this year’s affair which includes some key changes. It has expanded from one day to two, spanning both Friday, May 12 and Saturday, May 13. “I’m excited that it’s going to be two full days,” says Kempees. “This will give people who can’t come on Friday a chance to still come and enjoy the party.”

The focus this year will also be a bit different, with greater emphasis on participation rather than browsing. “We’re encouraging retailers to be super creative and come up with fun events that will inspire women to come in and participate,” says Kempees, who joined Mary Corso of the Parking Business Improvement Area and Vida Zvirdys-Farler of the Olympia Downtown Association for a field trip to Gig Harbor’s wildly popular Girls Night Out. “We got to go to all the stores, play all the games and enter all the drawings,” she says. “We all won prizes and got free fun things and we came back with a lot of creative ideas.” 

girls night out
Shoppers flood the downtown streets for Girls Night Out, this year with two nights of fun on May 12 and 13.

Participants purchase goodie bags with instructions on how to participate in each store’s event. “The key is to buy the bags early because they will sell out,” Kempees warns.

For local women, it’s a chance to introduce out-of-town visitors to Olympia or discover businesses they didn’t know were there, says Belleza Ropa sales associate Sarah ‘Bear’ Buffington. “It brings the ladies in and gives us an opportunity to serve them. If you have a sister that’s visiting Olympia and there’s this event, all of a sudden you may come into our store and think, ‘Wow.’ Women start finding things and learning something new.”

On the business side, last year’s GNO generated approximately $40,000 in revenue and at Belleza Ropa, it’s one of the biggest nights of the year. “Having all of these women coming together to go from store to store creates a great collective energy,” says Kempees. “Each store has its own in-store event, whether that’s a singing group, a massage or facials or a drawing for a piece of art.”

Belleza Ropa is excited to welcome the community for this year's Girls Night Out. Photo courtesy: Belleza Ropa
Belleza Ropa is excited to welcome the community for this year’s Girls Night Out. Photo courtesy: Belleza Ropa

Belleza Ropa will be offering a trunk show for Not Your Daughter’s Jeans, a woman-owned clothing line based in Los Angeles. “It will be an awesome time to find the perfect pair of jeans. Who doesn’t want that?” says Kempees. A representative will be on hand with the full spring line and shoppers will be able to place orders in the store.

Most importantly, it’s a chance for women to celebrate themselves, she says. “Come downtown, get into the stores that are participating, see something new and special, be treated like a queen and be honored for being part of our retail community.”

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