East Grand Forks – The annual Fashion Affair showcasing hundreds of styles from local boutiques and businesses took place Thursday night at Barney’s, Molly Yeh’s restaurant.

Anne Zimmer, owner of Avant Hair & Skin Care Studio, and Rachael Eider, owner of RH Standard, are both organizers of the event. Zimmer and Eider said her annual fashion walk encourages people to shop locally.

“The first show is all about it from the beginning, showing this community that there’s a lot to shop here just by stepping outside and walking through the store,” Zimmer said.

This year, 15 local businesses participated, each with 20 models showcasing a range of styles.Out of these 15 businesses, 13 are owned by women.

Planning started months in advance and there is a lot of work to do for the event, but Zimmer said he wanted to see it all come together, as well as have business owners and guests have fun. also said it was fun.

“I love to see people come together here,” said Zimmer.

Fashion Walk is the 8th time this year. Previous locations for The Fashion Affair include Alley of Love, the top floor of the Corporate Parking Ramp, and Sky’s Fine Dining.

Eric Hilden/Grand Forks Herald

Zimmer and Eider said they were very excited to bring this year’s event to Barneys and be one of the first to be held in the newly renovated space.

In addition to the Fashion Walk, guests enjoyed food, drinks and live Town and Country music provided by Barneys.

Each year, a portion of ticket sales is donated to local organizations and non-profits. This year’s proceeds will go to BIO Girls, a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve adolescent girls’ self-esteem through self-empowerment and service to others.