This year’s WHC Sisterhood Boutique marks its 30th year. Photo Contributed
Since 1986, the WHC Sisterhood Holiday Boutique has provided area residents with the opportunity to discover “one-of-a-kind” gifts or personal treasures, to meet and greet old friends, to have lunch or dinner at the Café (or better yet, to take home brisket and kugel) or bid on Silent Auction items.
The women of the Sisterhood, with 650 members, dedicate their time and energy to plan and work for months to make these three days a success. The Sisterhood’s mission is to support a host of national and local charities which includes Bringing Resources to Aid Women’s Shelters (BRAWS), Brain Cancer Research, Meals on Wheels, The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, Jewish Social Services Agency (JSSA), Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and more.
The WHC Sisterhood Holiday Boutique will be held on Dec. 4, 5 and 6 at the Julia Bindeman Suburban Center, 11810 Falls Road, Potomac. Admission is free. The hours are Sunday, Dec. 4 from 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.; Monday, Dec. 5 from 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.; and Tuesday, Dec. 6 from 9:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
The WHC Sisterhood Boutique is one of Potomac's most-anticipated shopping venues each year. With new vendors displaying their items and more than 50 altogether, the show is an ideal shopping destination. Shoppers can choose among the extensive jewelry collections, children and women's clothing and accessories, home decor gifts, food items and more.
Some of the vendors are All Things Olive, Alexandra Beth Designs, Artfully Designs, Barbie B., Susan Koehn Designs, The Supreme Court Historical Society, Swirl, Beaded Heartz, Create-a-Plaque, Dreams to Your Door, Heat and Fury, Gemini Jewelry, Fine Foutas, Fancy Pants, Ivivva Bethesda, My Big Finds, Secrets of Fashion — and more.
Many of the vendors bring the joy of family to their business. Mother and daughter Bonnie and April Wardlaw — owner of the Popcorn Queens — will be selling their nine varieties of handcrafted gourmet caramel popcorn. Some of their flavors include Bourbon Pecan, Buttered Rum, Cinnamon Apple, Classic Caramel and Salted. Their gift baskets would make the perfect gift for that popcorn lover or movie buff.
Faye Mendelsohn of Faye Mendelsohn Cosmetics, Inc. is a lifelong participant of the WHC Holiday Boutique. Since 1986, shoppers look forward to seeing vendors come back annually and Mendelsohn is no exception.
Both men and women come to the boutique in search of sports-related gifts. Laura Chvotkin of Create-A-Plaque spends hours putting up and taking down her extensive collection of sports memorabilia, most of which are not available in local stores.
WHC Sisterhood President Sandy Nesbit explained that for the past 30 years, the WHC Sisterhood Holiday Boutique is an event people of all ages look forward to year after year: “Mothers who used to push babies in their strollers are pushing their grandchildren. Loyal volunteers, shoppers and vendors look forward to this boutique because it is bustling with camaraderie as well as exciting new gifts to give others and sometimes ourselves. The Sisterhood women run our Café each year so the shoppers and vendors have a place to relax and catch up with friends they haven’t seen in years. As you enter the building, please check out our beautiful Sisterhood Gift Shop which will be filled with new and unique Judaica to enhance your home throughout the year or give as engagement, wedding or house gifts to friends and family. Hanukkah is just around the corner so don’t forget to check out our fabulous array of candles and chanukiot from all over the world.”
The perfect gift might also be found at the Silent Auction which offers restaurant and entertainment certificates, personal service items, and sporting tickets. Businesses throughout the D.C. area and vendors contribute items to this three-day auction which opens at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 4 and closes at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6.
New this year is a raffle for a Hamilton Experience. Enter to win two house seats to the most sought-after show on Broadway, “Hamilton,” a two-night stay in New York City’s Park Central Hotel and transportation to and from NYC by transporter, Royal Traveler. Drawing for this package will be at 6 p.m., Dec. 6. No need to be present to win and tickets can be purchased online at www.WHCSisterhood.org/Sisterhood. All proceeds go directly to the many charities Sisterhood supports both locally and around the world.
As WHC Sisterhood member Michelle Citren said, “Working on this boutique with the rest of the Sisterhood gives you a good feeling. We have a wonderful multigenerational group of women who return year after year to make this boutique happen. It’s amazing to realize what a difference we can make in our community — and in our world.”