It didn’t take long for City Fire in Brownwood to become a red carpet of sorts on Monday afternoon as women from throughout The Villages took part in a fun-packed “Spring Fling Fashion Show.”
A packed-house crowd filled the popular restaurant and enjoyed a tasty buffet lunch as fashion designer Yvonne Marie Wooff introduced models wearing a variety of outfits from the store that carries her name at the Lake Square Mall in Leesburg.
“I couldn’t have dreamt of any more than this,” an excited Wooff said during a break in the show. “We are being very well-received.”
Snowbird Beverly Johnston, who was serving as one of the models, agreed.
“We’re really having a fun time,” said the part-time Village of Duval resident, adding that the models ranged in age from their fifties to their seventies. “The clothes are amazing and they’re very reasonable.”
Johnston’s friend, Debbie Anderson, of the Village of Summerhill, said she was enjoying the afternoon at City Fire – one of her favorite restaurants in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown – while also offering support for her longtime friend. She said she was “beyond shocked” at the turnout for the show.
“It’s fantastic,” she said. “Only in The Villages.”
City Fire’s owner, Gina Buell, was all smiles as her customers enjoyed a buffet lunch and shopped for clothing on several racks that were set up inside the eatery.
“We love doing events like this,” she said between hugs with models and customers. “It’s my favorite thing in the world to do – something fun for our Villagers.
Buell said she had been trying to put together a show with Wooff for quite some time and she was happy their schedules finally synced up. She said she hopes to do similar shows at least once a quarter going forward. And she offered a huge word of thanks for all of the Villagers who served as models and her many loyal customers who attended the event.
“The Villages and Villagers give so much to us and we love to give back,” she said. “We love to do events and we love to give to absolutely any club or charity that we possibly can because they give so much to us.”
