A grand opening will be held Saturday for 2313 Glitter Ave. Inclusive Boutique at its store off Raeford Road.
The boutique sells clothing, shoes and accessories for women of all sizes, according to a news release, which adds that the business has grown from a small Etsy shop to a multimillion-dollar business over the past seven years.
The boutique, located at 1009 Marlborough Road, is the company’s first storefront. Shoppers can use a mobile app and have merchandise shipped or arrange for pickup at a warehouse on Blount Street downtown.
“As a curvy woman myself born and raised here in Fayetteville, it has always been a struggle to find fashionable clothing in inclusive sizes in Cumberland County,” co-owner Alexandria Shoup said in an email. “We are hoping to fill that void in our community by opening this store that offers all styles in small to 3X and creating a safe space where women of all sizes can feel confident and comfortable to shop in person.”
The opening will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Regular hours will be every Wednesday and one Saturday per month.
FTCC partners with Blue Cross on insurance pre-licensing program
Fayetteville Technical Community College has partnered with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina to offer a pre-licensing program that provides training for people who want to become insurance agents, according to an FTCC news release.
Scholarships are available for qualifying students.
The N.C. Department of Insurance requires potential insurance agents to complete an approved pre-licensing education course, such as the FTCC program.
FTCC’s program begins with training in interpersonal and workplace skills that involve math, documents and graphics, the release said. Students who successfully complete that part of the training then take three pre-licensing insurance courses for life insurance, health insurance, and Medicare Supplement and Long-Term Care Insurance. Upon successful completion of each course, students receive a ticket to take the state insurance exam in those areas, the release said.
The program includes training in networking, interviewing, how to search and apply for jobs, and writing resumes and cover letters.
Blue Cross NC is offering scholarships covering the cost of tuition, fees and exams as part of the company’s efforts to diversify the insurance sales workforce in North Carolina, the release said. Students who successfully complete the course are not required to work for Blue Cross NC.
To apply or for more information, visit FTCC-Blue Cross training.
Fayetteville airport awarded aviation career grant by state DOT
The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation recently awarded $3,000 grants to Fayetteville Regional and nine other airports to assist with hosting aviation and aerospace-themed summer academies for middle and high school students.
The rapid growth of the aerospace and unmanned aircraft system sectors offers many job opportunities for North Carolinians, according to a DOT news release. The 2023 Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy Grant Program aims to expose the next generation of talent to those careers.
In addition to Fayetteville Regional Airport, grants were awarded to:
Academy topics include aviation history, career planning, and drones, as well as hands-on drone and airplane flight simulations and trips to aerospace fields, the release said.
The training is relevant for careers as aircraft pilots, technicians, coders and programmers, avionics technicians, air traffic controllers and engineers
Parents and students interested in participating in this year’s ACE Academies can learn more by visiting the NCDOT website and searching “ACE Academies.”
Atrium Health to present NC MedAssist luncheon
Hundreds of health, community and corporate leaders from across North Carolina will gather for NC MedAssist’s eighth annual executive luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 28 either virtually or at the Charlotte Convention Center, 501 S. College St., Charlotte.
The luncheon, to be presented by Atrium Health for the third year in a row, raises money to support NCMA’s mission of providing access to lifesaving prescription medications, patient support, advocacy, and related services to under-resourced and uninsured North Carolina residents, according to a news release.
NCMA hopes to raise $250,000 through sponsorships and donations, with all proceeds applied directly to advancing its programs, the release said.
“For more than a decade, Atrium Health has partnered with North Carolina MedAssist to help increase access to prescription and over-the-counter medications to tens of thousands of residents across the state,” said Kinneil Coltman, executive vice president of Advocate Health.
Based in Charlotte, Atrium Health is a nonprofit health system with more than 70,000 employees serving patients at 40 hospitals and more than 1,400 care locations, the release said. Atrium is part of Advocate Health, the fifth-largest nonprofit health system in the United States.
For more information about NC MedAssist, go to www.medassist.org.
For information about attending the luncheon or donating, visit www.medassist.org/executive-luncheon.
