Jewelry by Made Especially for You by Shelly at the Southridge branch’s Maker’s Fair. Carolyn credits Shelly, the first maker the branch hosted, as the inspiration for the fair.

The Southridge branch held its first-ever Maker’s Fair on November 23, featuring local craftspeople displaying their products and talking to visitors about their offerings.

The fair came about as a result of branch manager Carolyn Lyrenmann challenging her team to find business banking clients that could benefit from exposure at the branch’s Business of the Month table.

Mother’s Mantra’s table at the fair.

“We were able to learn of many talented clients who make wares such as jewelry, woodwork, and crocheted and hand-sewn items,” Carolyn said. “Now, our Business of the Month table is booked out for a year with new businesses, but we wanted to make sure we still celebrated our makers.”

While she doesn’t have a precise count, Carolyn says she can safely estimate that at least 80 people came through the fair. The branch plans to make the Maker’s Fair an annual event. The whole Southridge team helped prepare for the fair, and assistant branch manager Zoran Saric and universal banker Sherita King helped Carolyn the day of the event.