Shoppers find Christmas gifts at Northern Exposure during Sip & Shop on Nov. 23. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

Debbie Coppeler opened her shop, Unique, at 10 a.m. during the Nov. 23 Port Clinton Sip & Shop, and by 1:30, she was ready to sit down and take a break.

“I was so busy, I didn’t sit down the whole time,” she said. “It’s been incredible.”

Unique was one of 68 shops and vendors that set up during the 9th Annual Sip & Shop. This year’s event was bigger than ever and included shops across Port Clinton and Catawba. Several of the shops, like Unique, were busy from the time they opened their doors.

Kelly Rigoni, left, stops to talk with vendor Lisette Post at her stand during Sip & Shop. Rigoni is one of the event’s organizers. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“It has been a great day. We’ve been very busy,” said The Verve co-owner Jayme Knopp. “We’ve sold a variety of things, including earrings, baked goods, clothing, candles and dog stuff.”

Northern Exposure was wall-to-wall people much of the day, and Shelley Terrell, who works at Port Clinton Candy Company, said the shop had a steady stream of customers.

“It’s been great. It’s been wonderful. A lot of people are looking ahead to Christmas,” Terrell said. “We have lots of stocking stuffer ideas. That’s what many people came in for.”

Friends stop to chat at Northern Exposure during Sip & Shop. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

Several customers purchased vintage candy, novelty candy and Port Clinton Candy Company’s signature chocolate walleyes. Several also purchased the shop’s bottled pop for gifts

“A lot of people are buying our unique soda,” Terrell said. “We have some really unusual ones like Ranch Dressing Soda and Buffalo Wing Soda. One woman put together a basket of sodas for a gift.”

In addition to shops, several vendors set up for the Sip & Shop event, including Barbie Cicco of Simply Nature by Barbie. Cicco creates home décor using natural materials like flowers, leaves and grasses that she forages in Ohio and other states, including West Virginia, Florida and Texas.

“I find things everywhere I go,” she said.

Cicco occasionally travels to a rural West Virginia mountain with a friend to visit his father’s grave.

Barbie Cicco stands among some of her creations at her stand inside Nutrition by the Lake during Sip & Shop on Nov. 23. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“He’s buried on a mountain. You can’t even get to it by car,” she said. “I wander around and find things on the mountain.”

Among her creations were exquisite Christmas trees made of pampas grass and Chinese silver grass. She taught herself how to create the trees and how to press flowers. She’s been working with natural materials for about two years.

“I didn’t know I could do this,” she said. “A friend gave me an old frame and said, ‘You’ll know what to do with it.’ That’s how I started.”

Port Clinton Sip & Shop was a huge success for shoppers and small business owners.

“A lot of the people have been coming for years, but I also saw a lot of new people,” Coppeler said.