'Girls Night Out' to Kick Off Holiday Shopping in Gig Harbor

Gig Harbor's own “” is this Thursday, Nov. 10, and shoppers have until Wednesday to secure one of the 300 goodie bags filled with items donated by local merchants and businesses.

You can pre-purchase the bags at any of the 54 participating stores, marked with the GNO poster, for $10. On the day of the event, start your day where you purchased your bag.

For its second year, donated 300 reusable bags to use as goodie bags, Executive Director Mary DesMarais said. Each bag will be filled with about 20 different items, including a coupon book.

DesMarais said they've sold about 75 bags so far, and even women from Alaska and Oregon have called to purchase their bags.

“Our first Girls Night Out last year was a great success – we sold out of 200 goodie bags so have increased the number to 300 this year," Girls Night Out committee chair, Pat Schmidt said. "This event is a great reminder to people that downtown Gig Harbor is a unique and wonderful place to shop and dine.”

In addition to the goodie bags, you can enter to win one of the 30 door prizes with every $10 you spend at the businesses. The merchants will also be promoting special sales on the day of the event, according to DesMarais.

At last year's event, DesMarais said the local businesses brought in about $15,000 in total sales. In hopes of repeating the sucess, she said the event is a perfect way to kick off the holiday shopping season in the Harbor.

One of the event volunteers, Josh Sherwin, described Girls Night Out as a way for women to "escape the sea of retail sameness".

Girls Night Out is sponsored by GHHWA and will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in downtown Gig Harbor. Free shuttles will be available from to Java and Clay from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. After shoppers are done hitting the stores, they're encouraged to dine at one of the 12 restaurants for Girls Night Out specials.

Learn more at www.gigharborwaterfront.org, call (253) 514-0071 or visit “Girls Night Out Gig Harbor Waterfront” on Facebook.