Downtown businesses are in full swing in the Christmas spirit, with store windows decked out for the season. It’s the perfect time for business owners to show off their decorative skills, while making the shopping experience a little more festive for customers.
In an effort to spark the Yuletide spirit, the Ardmore Main Street Authority again sponsored the downtown window decorating contest this year, with some amazing results.
“It’s just a friendly competition between businesses on their creativity and design abilities,” AMSA Director James Lamey said. “It’s designed to bring people down to look at the windows and to shop downtown. And the downtown merchants still have Christmas spirit and want the public to show their support for the downtown businesses.”
The folks at Ray Ward Fine Jewelers at 104 W. Main St. took first place in the contest with a “Christmas Eve Night” window display designed by sales manager Deborah Nalley.
Taking advantage of the business’ dark windows, Nalley played off the nighttime theme using royal blue satin for the base of the jewelry display, which also included wreaths, stockings, bells and gold-wired gifts.
“I was kind of going for something elegant and pretty, something classic and classy,” Nalley said. “We went with the ‘Christmas Eve Night’ idea because our windows are dark anyway and it lent itself well to the idea. I just put the satin on the bottom and built it up from there.”
The prize for winning the contest includes bragging rights shown by displaying the traveling trophy for the coming year, plus two round-trip tickets on the Heartland Flyer.
Other winners were as follows:
Second place — Tim Chamberlain, DBA My Granmere’s Panacherie, a vendor in Antiques, Etc. at 16 E. Main St.
Third place — Leigh Ann Offield at Rough Creek Interiors, 22 N. Washington St.
Honorable Mention — Sandra Wells at Paradise Alley (the Stolfa Building)
The public is encouraged to visit the downtown businesses and view the creative Christmas displays before the season ends.
