Being a small business owner on Long Island can be a daunting task at times, and while there are a variety of resources out there to assist this demographic in achieving success in a difficult economy, there are sadly very few centered on businesses exclusively owned and run by women.

However, one Long Island woman has taken it upon herself to change that oversight, and as a result, local female entrepreneurs now have a new event centered on helping and supporting them in achieving their goals.

The Long Island Women's Small Business Fair & Expo – which holds its inaugural event on Sunday, August 4, at the Plainview Holiday Inn – was founded by owner Kellyann, who was inspired to create the event after she had been invited by an acquaintance to attend a female business support group during the COVID-19 lockdown.

“It was a small group of women who were getting together to help each other out, and my friend invited me to go with her to get to know them,” she said. “I went and it was lovely and great, and we all really helped each other out during the meeting. It was empowering because we were all struggling with our respective businesses and we came together and gave each other great ideas and support.”

With the positive experience of the meeting still forefront in her mind, Kellyann was looking on social media a few days afterward and noticed that while there were many business-related networking and support groups on Long Island, there were a dearth of options for female-led endeavors.

“There's really nothing on Long Island that supports women of small businesses, so I said to myself, ‘why not? We need something like this,’” she said. “I’d run psychic dinners and fairs and other events in the past, so I already had some experience in this type of thing, so I just ran with it from there.”

Kellyann envisioned an event – the Long Island Women's Small Business Fair & Expo – where women from all walks of life on Long Island could come in, empower each other, and help one another out.

“I didn't want to turn anyone away, regardless of the field that their business was in. That's why it's called a Fair and Expo,” Kellyann said. “I have a variety of vendors…life coaches, travel and real estate agents, crafts, artists, photographers, tattoo artists – who will actually be actively tattooing at the show – psychic mediums, healers, jewelers...just such a wide variety.”

“As long as you are a woman with a business, you are welcome. I don't want to turn anyone away at all,” she added.

Kellyann herself has a full-time job in what she described as a "very male dominated industry," which has driven her to try to find ways to inspire women to follow career paths that they may not normally venture into based on traditional – and some would say outdated – gender roles. However, her true passion – after being inspired by a local Long Island celebrity psychic – lies in being a Reiki master, an ancient healing method that manipulates energy flow in the body.

“Theresa Caputo, the Long Island Medium herself, was a mentor of mine, and she put me over to her teachers and put me on a spiritual path,” she said. “For a number of years, I've been a Reiki master and have run a business on the side – both out of my home and in a store in Massapequa – and I also teach Reiki classes.”

The first-ever Long Island Women's Small Business Fair & Expo will be held on August 4, which by no coincidence just so happens to be International Women's Day; the second event is already slated to take place on March 8, 2025, at the same location, and the plan is to make changes each and every time to fine-tune things, keep them fresh, and consistently evolve order to continuously serve the goal of supporting Long Island's female business community.

“Next year we're going to incorporate workshops and classes,” Kellyann said. “Again, next year's event is going to focus on Long Island, but I've already had people inquiring from out of state, so we'll probably make the March 8th event open to all women, whether they're from Long Island or not.”

But as for the upcoming August Fair & Expo, Kellyann was quick to point out that while the vendors there are required to be female and to hail from Long Island, anyone regardless of gender are more than welcome to attend and partake of this unique event.

“Bring your children, and single fathers, come in…it's a great way to meet women!” she laughed. “And make sure you bring your daughters, and tell them, ‘Look girls, this is what women can do, and you could do these things.’ Everyone is welcome to come, it's just a great family day and it helps to support women. We're very excited!”

To complete the family-friendly atmosphere, Kellyann notes that in addition to a plethora of talented female vendors offering numerous wares and services, famished event goers can also make use of a food truck that will be there in order to replenish themselves. In addition, several vendors will also be selling food, and the Plainview Holiday Inn itself has a restaurant and bar.

Currently, the plan going forward is to continue holding the Long Island Women's Small Business Fair & Expo on a twice-annual basis; however, Kellyann is not ruling out the potential of additional events, depending on the need and the response from attendees to this vitally important and much-needed new event.

“I've been meeting and talking with a lot of people about the Fair & Expo, and people seem to be really excited about it,” she said. “I love the fact that it's very versatile, with a lot of different vendors, and it's something that's very different for Long Island. There's currently nothing here, especially with this scale, for women, and it's something I'm very proud of.”

To find out more about the Long Island Women's Small Business Fair & Expo, please visit https://liwsb.com.