Kaylee McGhee/Collegian
Next month, Hillsdale County will see its own taste of fashion week as two local businesses — Maggie Anne’s and Olivia’s Chophouse — work together to support another local organization: the Alpha Omega care center.
On Oct. 17, seven models styled in Maggie Anne’s clothing will strut the runway at Olivia’s Chophouse before an audience enjoying dinner and the show. The fashion show’s proceeds will benefit the Alpha Omega, a care center that provides counseling, education, and care for men and women in the Hillsdale area.
Patti Bailey, owner of Maggie Anne’s and Hillsdale alum ‘87, said she had the idea to benefit Alpha Omega because of the care center’s involvement at her church, Hillsdale United Brethren.
“A lot of people from the church volunteer at Alpha Omega, and not to mention one of the gals that goes to our church is the director there,” Bailey said. “I just thought to myself, ‘You know what, a benefit fashion show would be a great thing to do for them.’”
Bailey approached Shawn Noblit, the executive director of Alpha Omega care center, immediately after church one Sunday. Noblit said Bailey’s offer came as a genuine surprise.
“I was incredibly blessed by her offer,” Noblit said. “I was shocked because she actually approached me at church, and it wasn’t something we had ever talked about before. It was something the Lord had laid on my heart, but I didn’t know who to do it with or how to do it. The fact she approached me about it was an answer.”
Beyond the church connection, Bailey said Alpha Omega’s mission and locality deems the center a worthy cause.
“They help women and men both who are in a crisis pregnancy type situation, and I thought that was a good cause,” Bailey said. “And it’s local — it’s nice to keep money local.”
Tickets, sold in advance at Maggie Anne’s in downtown Hillsdale, cost $25. Once the meal cost is deducted, the rest of the proceeds go directly to Alpha Omega. In addition, attendees will receive a “10-10-10 coupon” — a coupon that lasts for 10 days, worth 10 percent off, that sends 10 percent of the sale to Alpha Omega.
“The coupon usually raises an extra 300 or 400 dollars for the organization depending on how much people spend and how much they buy,” Bailey said. “The more you buy the more that’s going to go to Alpha Omega.”
Bailey said she hopes to raise at least a thousand dollars for Alpha Omega, while Noblit said the event itself will help boost awareness around the community.
“What we’re hoping to get out of it is more recognition for the center and the ability for people to know what we do,” Noblit said. “Most of what we do here is spread by word of mouth because we don’t advertise.”
Bailey has partnered with long-time friend and owner of Olivia’s Chophouse, Wayne Babcock, to put on two benefit fashion shows per year for five years. This year’s show will be the first dinner-time performance, rather than a luncheon. Doors for the event open at 5 p.m. this year.
“It works out perfectly at Olivia’s because we’re closed on Monday, and they always have their meetings on Mondays. So they come out, there’s a nice setup, there’s music, and we’ve just been having fun with it,” Babcock said.
Past proceeds have gone to causes such as King’s Cupboard and Domestic Harmony, though the shows took a year-long hiatus as Maggie Anne’s focused on expanding its downtown store.
For Babcock, hosting these fashion shows is like hosting a Hillsdale reunion.
“The ladies are great,” Babcock said. “All of the ladies that come to the Hillsdale Club are wonderful. I grew up with all of them so it’s sort of like a reunion, and it’s a wonderful cause. This is a great thing they do for the community.”
