Girls’ Night Out at GardenStone

Is it just me or are stores no longer just stores anymore?

I don’t know if we have Facebook to thank for it or the Internet in general, but some shops are embracing their customers as friends rather than as, well, customers.

Remember my feature on GardenStone , that eclectic store in Airway Heights with the pet goats (who I’m still plotting to kidnap and keep for myself. Baaaaah!)?

They’re throwing a Girls Night Out Saturday where shoppers can meet some of the artisans who make the products they sell, including Ari Rooney from Buttercuppity , the owners of As You Wish Design , who make handcrafted jewelry, and a massage therapist named Carie Doeleman-Voker.

There will be snacks and door prizes, too, as if mini massages weren’t enough.

The event already has 27 confirmed guests via Facebook. I’m guessing there are a lot of small, local shops that’d kill to draw 27 customers on a Saturday night.

GardenStone ‘s event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, 1515 S. Lyons, in Airway Heights.

What other examples of this business-building/community-building have you seen around town?