Last call for Westmeath entrepreneurs

There are still some places available for start-up business owners, entrepreneurs and craftworkers who'd like to take part in the first-ever Open Fair in County Westmeath, at Milltown Community Centre, Rathconrath, Mullingar, on Sunday September 16, which will be officially opened by Willie Penrose TD.The Open (One Person Enterprise) Fair, which featured on RTÉ's Nationwide programme earlier this summer, is a national movement of free, community-based talent expos aimed at helping people to make a living from their own skills, whatever they might be. Open Fairs have been taking place all over the country since the movement began May 2011.If you have a product or service to sell - be it baking, carpentry, massage, pottery, catering, photography or anything else - this is your chance to test the local market. There is no fee to exhibit and you keep any money you make on the day. You might simply find a means of supplementing your income, or it could be your first step towards establishing a global business empire. You won't know till you try.Dozens of exhibitors from Westmeath and farther afield have signed up already for the event on Sunday 16, which is being run in conjunction with Westmeath Rural Arts.The Open Fair will feature art, knitting, glasswork, jewellery, copperwork, millinery and sweet treats, as well as services including accountancy, skincare advice, alternative therapy and web design.Application forms (for exhibitors) can be downloaded from the Open Fair website at www.openfair.ie, or by phone at 9058034, or email at info@openfair.ie. Please note, though, that you have to be promoting a product or service of your own: Open Fairs are not open to retailers or agents for other business such as insurance companies, cosmetics firms and so on.Remember, the Open Fair is free for both visitors and exhibitors, so everyone is invited to come along to Milltown community centre on the day and help support local enterprise.