Hi Debra,
I agree with you. This is a newly opened shop trying to build a business. From a marketing standpoint, I would call these open houses and send out a flyer encouraging people to come for an evening to see what the business has to offer and to let the shop know what they (potential customers) are interested in. I would probably host them that way for the first six months to a year and hope that by then the shop has built a clientele. I do think it's off-putting to charge for such an event, food or no food. It's like having a house warming party and charging a fee.
Just my two cents as a small business owner!
Lynda