Staff photo by Clay Schuldt Block Paper Scissors had the most popular tables at the Women’s Expo. Nicholas Kilgren and Tanya Hoffmann show customers how to make their own hand-painted signs for the holiday season. Roughly 100 venders attended the Women’s Expo Saturday. This was the 14th Women’s Expo held during the annual shopping opener. The event typically attracts 1,500 visitors to Jefferson Elementary.

NEW ULM — The official start of the shopping season began this weekend and the Women’s Expo and Craft Sale at Jefferson Elementary is one of the top stops for shoppers.

The Women’s Expo is celebrating 14 years at the Jefferson. Event Coordinator Betty Uehling said there were about 100 venders in the elementary school. Many of the venders attended the event every year, but about a third of them were new to the shopping opener.

Block Paper Scissors was new to the Expo, but made a huge impression. The company is a do-it-yourself craft company that teaches people the basics of sanding, staining and painting their own crafts. Customers were allowed to make their own stenciled signs at the Expo. At no point was the line of customers less than three people deep.

Nicholas Kilgren with Block Paper Scissors said his business is based out of Jordan, Minnesota but is expanding to this area with an employee in the Lafayette area.

Tupperware sales also remain popular. Consultant Jessica Emmeck has sold Tupperware at the expo every year for the last 14 years.

“I keep getting invited deer hunting but I prefer to make money,” Emmeck said.

This year the microwavable Tupperware items were selling well, like the pressure cooking Tupperware.

Uehling said it was hard to estimate how many people had come to the event this year, but last year they had 1,560 people register for door prizes. These people came from 157 different communities, from six different states and two countries. Uehling said those were fairly typical numbers.

Uehling views the expo and the other shopping opener events as a great way to bring people to New Ulm.

“It is wonderful the whole community has embraced this with the Gnome-made market and shopping opener,” Uehling said.

The expo also serves as a fundraiser for ECFE. The Expo is expected to raise an estimated $3,000 for EFCE. Uehling said this is amount is just a drop in the bucket but every little bit helps.

“It helps offer programs for families at low cost or free,” she said.