Edgewater International Women's Day Crawl on March 8

I've recently joined my local Chamber of Commerce as a Board member.  (I was on the board of a different organization (The Edgewater Development Corporation) that merged with it, and they invited me to join the board of the combined organization.)  

I'm excited, because they (or I should say WE) do a lot of good work supporting our neighborhood and the businesses that populate our neighborhood, and that's a major feature of this part of Chicago.  I recently went to a visioning session for the Chamber, and we've got lots of plans going forward.  I want to be a part of the work to make my neighborhood a better place than when I got here.  And this is tangible.

One of the events they do (errr.. we do-- I'm going to have to remember this) is coming up, celebrating International Women's Day and the many woman-owned businesses in our community.  


This event is coming up Sunday March 8, and will offer fun and interactive (and often tasty) activities for participants.  It's a fundraising event, and some of the money will go to Loom Chicago, which is a non-profit that offers studio space, materials and workshops for women in the Chicago refugee community who can knit, crochet, weave, and sew.  

One of the women of Loom Chicago

These women can then sell these beautiful handmade products and make some money.  It's fiber arts social enterprise!

From 11 am -2 pm, participants can walk along the Broadway corridor and tour women-owned businesses, chat with owners (and Edgewater Chamber members), sample food and liquor (must be 21+ for liquor), interact with local women entrepreneurs,  and basically have a lot of fun!

Some of the women-owned businesses on the Crawl include:

Farm Bar
Chicago Mosaic School
Edge of Sweetness
Bark Bark Club
Ethiopian Diamond.

(other businesses will be added as well!)

Also, some of the women-run businesses providing hands-on activities include:

Smackdab
Greenstar Brewery
Work + Shelter
Loom Chicago.

The chamber anticipates 100-150 Edgewater residents, foodies, families, friends, and women-allies eager to experience the neighborhood and chamber members to participate in the neighborhood crawl.  All in all, it looks to be a great afternoon!

The International Women’s Day Crawl is open to the general public, all genders and all ages (must be 21+ to partake in liquor tastings). ​Tickets are available for purchase​ ($35 for general admission and $30 for chamber members) to participate in the crawl, help boost women-owned businesses in the neighborhood and give back to your community through the good work of Loom Chicago. 

For more information, please visit ​https://www.edgewater.org/events/international-dinner-crawl/ 

Hope to see you there!