June Hager, Velva, stands near her table at North Star Community Credit Union's Open House and Vendor Show, held last Thursday.

Rugby’s North Star Community Credit Union hosted a Christmas open house and vendor show last Thursday evening to help local entrepreneurs connect with their community and provide a unique place to shop.

Branch Manager Barb Welk said the credit union put the event together to acquaint entrepreneurs and shoppers with the financial institution. Welk said the credit union invited people “to come in and see our welcome atmosphere, and see what we’re all about.”

The credit union treated visitors to cookies and held a drawing for a pecan pie and a Yeti brand insulated cup.

Rugby area vendors offered merchandise ranging from cosmetics and essential oils to handcrafted wooden chests and dcor. Local bakers sold holiday sugar cookies, pfeffernusse, and kugen. Dakota Hills Winery sold bottles of local wine, donating the proceeds to charities helping children, including Callan Dockter, who needs specialized surgery.

“We want to support the local vendors,” said Assistant Branch Manager Tammy Olson. “And people can do their Christmas shopping here instead of driving to Minot.”

Other North Star branches participated in open houses and vendor shows, too.

“Bottineau’s is next Thursday; Maddock’s is today, and I believe they were doing a vendor show, too,” said Welk. “So, some of our other offices were also incorporating vendor shows with their Christmas open houses.”

Olson described the vendor show as a new idea. “We just decided this year we wanted to do it, and everybody else thought it was a good idea, too,” she said.

Welk added North Star supported efforts to encourage people to “shop local. “I like to shop local,” she added, “so we like to help these people out. They’re all here, trying to make an extra dollar here and there.” Welk noted North Star offered space in their building free of charge for the vendors to sell their wares.

“There’s no shipping charge here,” Olson added with a laugh. “(Shoppers) can touch and feel and see most of it, whereas if you go online, you don’t have that.”