Over a six-week period from mid-November to mid-December, the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce promoted a countywide holiday window decorating contest for local businesses. 94 businesses signed up to participate, from Clymer to Silver Creek and many communities in between.

Each business had to decorate their windows – visible from the outside – and each was assigned a number. We promoted the businesses, and they promoted themselves, and anyone could text in the number of the window they liked best. This text contest was hugely popular, with over 5,000 votes submitted.

The top three winners were: First Place, CJ’s Pizza and Subs in Westfield; Second Place, David Snow State Farm Insurance in Jamestown; and Third Place, Chautauqua Soap Company in Jamestown. With so many also in close range, we called out the top ten, as well as winners in each of the local communities where we have a Chamber Committee to help promote local business. Those honorable mentions, in no particular order, are: Stewarts Mayville Hardware in Mayville, Panama Auto Center in Panama, Bemus Point Golf Club & Tap House in Bemus Point, A Spot and a Spell in Fredonia, Full Strength Coffee Company in Westfield, Wanderlust Custard & Carryout Cuisine in Westfield, PersNikkity Pies in Falconer, Bag & String Wine Merchants in Lakewood, Art Cloth & Craft in Jamestown, Blue June Blooms in Westfield, Dave’s Outlet Store in Silver Creek, and Deborah Ferrer Design Studio in Dunkirk. Congratulations to all the winners!

The first-place winner will receive a 3-month ad on the Chamber’s website homepage, a $160 value. The second-place winner will get a 4-week ad in the Chamber’s Chautauqua Business Weekly Email newsletter, a $150 value; and the third-place winner will receive a one-month ad on the Chamber’s outdoor downtown Jamestown video display screens, a $100 value. All the others named can choose either a merchandise display in one of our Third Street downtown Jamestown windows for a month or a one-week ad in the Chautauqua Business Weekly Email, both of which have a $50 value. By the way, all of these helpful marketing tools are available to Chamber member businesses year-round. Just call our office if you’re interested.

The window displays created some visually compelling shopping experiences, and a fun competition for our local business community, but that was not the real reason behind this project. Our mission is to build vital connections, provide professional resources, and champion our local businesses in Chautauqua County. As a countywide business association, we are driven to encourage people to shop locally and sample locally owned businesses in a variety of ways. That’s the role of our popular ShopLocalCHQ Gift Card, and the role we play when we establish projects such as the Holiday Window Decorating Contest, the Mayville Holiday Open House, and the Westfield Cookie Tour. All of these projects help to build a customer base for small locally owned businesses.

We sincerely hope you visit, and buy from, our small locally owned businesses. They feature a wide variety of merchandise in broad price ranges and provide excellent customer service. Our local big box stores are also economically important, but it’s the small, local shops and restaurants that create a sense of place in our communities and make our main streets the interesting and vital places they are for residents and visitors alike.

Congratulations to all who participated in this outstanding event. We know for a fact that some of our businesses are already planning for next year!

MAYVILLE WINTER FESTIVAL PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY

The annual Mayville Winter Festival is scheduled for Presidents Day Weekend, February 16-18, 2024, and there’s room for all to participate! This year the organizing committee is working to create a unique vendor experience that will enhance the event for both vendors and attendees. All of the vendors will be in one easy to find location under a large heated tent, so visitors will be more likely to see all the merchandise in one place rather than having it spread out in several locations across the wide expanse of Lakeside Park.

Weather permitting, the Mayville Winter Festival is headlined by the construction of a large ice castle. One year it was a snow castle since there was not enough ice on the lake, but some years there was no castle at all due to the weather conditions. As a result, the committee is working to create some energy around the festival regardless of the weather. This new way to promote local vendors is part of that effort.

All who are interested in being a vendor, food provider, or sponsor for the 2024 Mayville Winter Festival can sign up online through the Chamber’s web calendar. If you have questions, please reach out to Coordinator Shannon Biekarck at (716) 484-1101 ext. 208 or email her at sbiekarck@chqchamber.org.

The next planning session for the Mayville Winter Festival will be held at 6:30pm, January 3 in the Carlson Community Center at Lakeside Park. Volunteers are encouraged to participate.

DOORS OPEN JAMESTOWN IS FEBRUARY 3

Doors Open Jamestown will return February 3, 2024, with a number of Jamestown area museums and attractions participating. The list of venues is not complete yet, but will be finalized in early January. In the meantime, save the date for Saturday, February 3 and be prepared for a terrific FREE day at numerous local attractions.