As many of you know, our 2026 Union County CEO All-Star Celebration & Tradeshow is quickly approaching! 🎉 Join us on Wednesday, April 29 from 5:30–8:00 PM at Harvest Church in Anna to support and experience the 15 businesses our young entrepreneurs have been working hard to launch.
In preparation for this exciting event, our team recently had the opportunity to visit with Tanya Loveless at Annabelle Market for valuable tradeshow tips and insight. 🛍️✨
Annabelle Market, now owned by sisters Crystal Smith-Housman and Sherri Smith Agers, was originally founded by Rhonda Bittle—Tanya Loveless’s mother—several years ago. It was truly inspiring to see how Crystal and Sherri have expanded Rhonda’s vision, creating a space full of growth, creativity, and community.
During our visit, Tanya shared her journey, beginning with her experience in the Union County Chamber of Commerce booth before walking us through her own booth setup. She offered valuable insight into what makes a booth truly stand out—from creating strong visual appeal to strategically placing items at eye level. She emphasized the importance of incorporating varying heights, textures, and creative displays to draw customers in, while also highlighting how thoughtful organization can elevate the overall presentation and customer experience.
After exploring these concepts, our team had the opportunity to walk through the market and observe the many different ways the 70+ vendors style and brand their individual booths. Each space offered something unique, showcasing creativity, personality, and strong branding in action.
Alexis Houseman shares her personal takeaways from Tanya’s advice:
“On Monday we were able to get some valuable insight on how we should set up our booths for the tradeshow. I am not a very creative person so watching Tanya Loveless make different things into tables or shelves was really interesting.
I really liked how she highlighted the different layers most of the booths had. My product is pretty small and flat so having these layers will really help me. Not only do these layers make the booth look more interesting, but they also help me use my space more efficiently.
I really enjoyed being able to walk around Annabelle as well because I do not have very much time to slow down and just enjoy one of the many places that Anna has to offer. I hope once school is out, I am able to have more moments like the ones I had on Monday.
I could also tell how willing Tanya was to help us. She was so kind to offer up her stash of goodies for us to use at the tradeshow.
Through CEO, we are truly able to meet such wonderful people and I hope I always appreciate the people we meet.”
Reese Jones shares:
“On Monday, we had trade show help from Tanya Loveless. I got a lot of helpful advice that day, like putting different textures in the booths and placing different products on different levels. I now have a clear picture of what I want my booth to look like, and now I have to acquire the items I need.
I then went to Tanya’s on Tuesday, and she helped me so much. We sat down and designed the whole thing and exactly how I wanted it to look. She gave me so many ideas, and we landed on taking my booth and turning it into an outdoor, romantic dinner sort of thing. I am so excited to get things rolling and get all the stuff I need for the trade show. She is letting me borrow some things that I need, like a picnic basket and a fake silverware set. I am so grateful to have someone like her in my corner to be able to help with stuff like this. She is so creative, and since she is retired, she is available to help out.”
If you haven’t visited Annabelle Market recently, we highly encourage you to stop in. It’s filled with incredible vendors, unique items, and truly offers an experience that engages all five senses as you explore everything the market has to offer. ✨
A sincere thank you to Tanya for spending the morning with us and so generously sharing her knowledge and expertise. Our Union County CEO team members left feeling inspired and excited to apply what they’ve learned at our upcoming tradeshow!
We also extend our gratitude to Annabelle Market for providing such a wonderful environment to see so many excellent examples of booth setups and systems in action. 👏
We hope to see you on April 29!
