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Downtown sparkles as DBA announces winner
Cranbrook’s downtown has a mighty festive feel to it these days.
Along with the city’s lamppost decorations and tree lighting, shoppers have been treated to creative and alluring displays in almost every storefront window since the end of November. From old fashion Christmas themes to a dazzling evening light show it’s well worth a leisurely stroll.
The Cranbrook Downtown Business Association, wanting to add incentive to the decorating tradition, collaborated with SNAPd East Kootenay and Sweet Gestures Chocolate Shoppe to hold the first Spirit of the Holidays decorating contest, open to all downtown shop locations.
“One of the DBA’s mandates is to create a better downtown experience. We were very impressed with the amount of downtown businesses that have embraced the holiday spirit and decorated their windows and stores. This contest is a great way to encourage downtown businesses to have a little fun and attract shoppers in the process,” explained DBA chair Joey Hoechsmann.
Those who registered by December 10 were judged on the 14th. A close tie prompted a call out to Facebook followers to help the judges come to a decision.
On Thursday, December 17, Lotus Books was named the winner. Owner Erin Dalton claimed the prize, which includes a quarter page ad in SNAPd East Kootenay’s January 2016 edition and a stunning (and delicious) Christmas Holiday Basket from Sweet Gestures Chocolate Shoppe.
“The book tree in our window was built from hand-rolled cones made of pages from a misprinted copy of local author Bruce Kirkby’s Sand Dance. Thanks to our friends and followers on Facebook for taking the time to comment and share the photos,” said Erin when asked about her shop’s unique window presentation.
Both SNAPd and the Cranbrook DBA were pleased with their partnership on this first holiday decorating contest and are grateful to Sweet Gestures for offering to enhance the prize.
“We encouraged participation from the downtown business community urging them to be creative, be festive and have fun,” said SNAPd owner Janice Sommerfeld. “There are many businesses that have their windows beautifully decorated and we invite them to participate next year. Congratulations to Lotus Books as the 2015 winner!”
Lead image: Left to right – SNAPd East Kootenay owner Janice Sommerfeld, Lotus Books owner Erin Dalton holding Sweet Gestures Holiday Basket and DBA chair Joey Hoechsmann stand in front of Lotus Books unique window design.
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