Special Houston Summer Sale Goes On — Unique Shopping in a Coronavirus World

More Than 80 Dealers Given a Valuable Business Lifeline

By Shelby Hodge // Jul 6, 2020

Photography Gray Moore Photography

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DASH co-founders Lisa Erwin, Michelle Maresh, Vanessa Sendukas, Angela Poujol in July wearing their signature masks necessary in the time of COVID-19. (Photo by Gray Moore Photography)

SUPA Skin Care provided hand sanitizing stations throughout Silver Street Studios for DASH market visitors and vendors. (Photo by Gray Moore Photography)

Visitors temperatures are taken at the entry to Silver Street Studios where the DASH Summer Sale was held. (Photo by Gray Moore Photography)

Marye-Kelley Custom Gifts at the DASH Market Summer Sale. (Courtesy photo) (Photo by Gray Moore Photography)

Keri Jo McCrory, Kelly Anzilotti, Peyton Barrier, Becky Barrier at DASH Market Summer Sale (Photo by Gray Moore Photography)

Stylish masks, practical masks and playful masks covered the faces of all attending the DASH Summer Sale. (Photo by Gray Moore Photography)

Tre for the Gathering at the DASH Market Summer Sale (Courtesy photo) (Photo by Gray Moore Photography)

Shoppers and sales people at Christina Green Jewelry followed all the rules. (Photo by Gray Moore Photography)

DASH co-founders Vanessa Sendukas, Michelle Maresh, Lisa Erwin, Angela Poujol at the 2019 Spring Market a year before masks were required.

(Photo by Gray Moore Photography)

My Drink Bomb was among the 80 merchants joining the shopping fest that was the DASH Summer Sale. (Photo by Gray Moore Photography)

Shop Sofia at the DASH Market Summer Sale (Courtesy photo) (Photo by Gray Moore Photography)

Organizers of the DASH Summer Sale instituted strict health and sanitary policies. (Photo by Gray Moore Photography)

Farafinya African Art was one of the 80 vendors who set up shop for the DASH Summer Sale. (Photo by Gray Moore Photography)

With the annual DASH (Design Art Style Home) Spring Market put on ice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the four energetic women who founded the popular, curated show of antique finds, stylish home goods and ethnic fashions opted for a DASH Market Summer Sale in late June. As might have been expected, the event looked quite different from previous markets.

Masks were required of all. Temperatures were taken. Social distancing was enforced. Hand sanitizers from Supa Skincare were situated throughout the vast Silver Street Studios event space. Signs indicated one-way aisle traffic. Capacity was limited to 50 percent. Contactless payment was available. On-site security handled crowd control.

There was continual cleaning and deep cleaning each night. Prior to opening, the warehouse building and the dealer booths were sanitized with surface disinfectant and antimicrobial protectant provided by Spike Health Solutions.

Large or small, markets, malls and other stores are taking extraordinary measures to guarantee the safety of employees as well as that of customers.

The pandemic notwithstanding, DASH founders Lisa Erwin, Michelle Maresh, Angela Poujol and Vanessa Sendukas were determined to provide some form of marketplace for merchants whose livelihood was endangered by closure of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and by cancellation of the Round Top spring antiques show and other local markets.

Thus, the DASH Summer Sale featured show specials, new inventory, and inventory closeouts from more than 80 unique dealers. Among them were Farafinya African Art, Christina Greene Jewelry, My Drink Bomb, Laurier Blanc, Jo Hyman Art, Kelly K Designs and Sapana Dreams.

The fall DASH Market is scheduled for October 29 to November 1.

Among the dealers and visitors making the DASH Market Summer Sale were Roger and Debbie Clemens, KPRC Channel 2’s Courtney Zavala, Heidi Houston, CBRE’s Dena Wren, Keri Jo McCrory, Peyton Barrier, Becky Barrier, Kelly Anzilotti of Kelly K Designs and Suzanne Coppola of Laurier Blanc.