 Light Up The Holidays in Downtown El Cajon
Every year Downtown El Cajon businesses embrace the holidays by festively decorating their windows and buildings for the season. We invite you to get together with family and friends and visit Downtown El Cajon during this festive time. Downtown El Cajon offers a unique and wide range of retail stores for items on your shopping list, and a variety of restaurants for dining.
The El Cajon CDC encourages Downtown El Cajon businesses to participate in Light Up the Holidays by decorating their windows and store fronts for customers and patrons.
Mangia Bene Wins The LUTHie!
 On Wednesday, December 10, 2008, the second annual LUTHie Award was presented to Lenny Donato, owner of Mangia Bene Ristorante Italiano, located at 221 East Main Street in Downtown El Cajon. The secret Santa, now revealed to be Monica Zech, Public Information Officer, for the City of El Cajon, Police and Fire Departments, judged Downtown El Cajon businesses with decorated exteriors and selected Mangia Bene as the winner. Monica also provides safety education lectures on behalf of police and fire for schools, civic groups, and businesses upon request at (619) 441-1737.
The LUTHie is a trophy modeled after the infamous leg lamp from the movie "A Christmas Story" and is part of the "Light Up The Holidays" (LUTH) program that has been a part of El Cajon CDC for many years. Businesses decorate their storefronts and windows with holiday displays, welcoming people to Downtown El Cajon during the holiday season. The award is given to the business deemed most festively decorated. Winners are chosen by a secret Santa dedicated to the advancement of the Light Up The Holidays program. Out of total points possible of 24, Mangia Bene received 21 points, and honorable mentions go to Por Favor and Main Street Collective, who both received 19 points. El Cajon CDC thanks the many businesses who participated and we encourage them to participate in 2009.
The award will be displayed at Mangia Bene until next holiday season when another winner is selected. Please stop by Mangia Bene to see the LUTHie for yourself, and enjoy a delicious lunch or dinner while you're shopping at one of Downtown El Cajon's local unique shops. Mangia Bene also has a banquet room that seat up to 55 people, a perfect place to host your holiday dinner.
“The LUTHie” past award winners
How do I create effective store window displays?
Creative window displays are an ideal way to set your business apart from the competition. Windows are the billboard of your store. They emphasize your unique identity, advertise merchandise and catch the attention of shoppers.
 So how do you make a traffic-stopping display?
The possible subjects are endless, but the key is to focus on a product or theme, not simply exhibit a collection of items. Following basic design principles will enhance your displays. Here’s some advice from professional visual merchandisers:
- Keep it simple. Don’t try to put in everything at once
- Keep it clean
- Change displays frequently to keep the look fresh
- Bright lighting is crucial, both during the day and at night. Use lights to highlight individual items or signs (Movable track lights work well)
- Use repetition of shapes and colors to attract attention
- Cluster items in groups of three or five, odd numbers are most pleasing to the eye
- Vary height and depth of items to carry the eye throughout the display, a pyramid or triangle is a pleasing shape
- Use motion to catch the customer’s eye
- Use light, bright colors
- Continue the theme of the window display with other displays inside the store
You may want to consider hiring a professional visual merchandiser to help get you started. Other resources include magazines such as Display and Design Ideas and Visual Merchandising & Store Design, sign up for the free visual merchandising newsletter, as well as books like Martin Pegler’s Store Windows No. 11 and Mary Portas’ Windows: The Art of Retail Display.
You’ll find that the time and money you put into having dynamic window displays are worth the investment!
Are your visual displays up to speed?
It is time to take advantage of this holiday season and create an exciting and inviting atmosphere for your shoppers. You will need to plan your space carefully to accommodate for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukah, Christmas and New Years. Here are some questions from Barbara Wold’s Retail Planner, The Yearbook to help you get started.
- How will you create impact at your entrance?
- How will you change your merchandisers for each holiday?
- How will you change your windows for each holiday?
- How will you change your floor displays for each holiday?
- What promotions have you planned?
- And when will they begin?
- How will you get rid of leftover merchandise?
- Will you mark it down and sell it out?
- Where will you stock leftovers?
Sell Through Visually Stimulating Displays
- A Display Needs to Attract Attention: You have 2.5 seconds to attract the attention of a customer. The customer will make the decision to either stop and look or blast off to the next store. To initiate the decision to pause, the display must shout, “Stop! I am very important! Look at me!”
- A Display Must Create and Maintain Interest: The longer your customer looks at a display, the more successful it is; and the more time the customer will have to think of a reason to purchase one of the items shown.
- Compatible Display Accessories Make a Stronger Visual Impression: They Encourage Buying Desire. Use tables and rockers against a wallpapered wall to sell home decor items; straw bales and corn stalks for a fall scene, and trees, twinkle lights and wreaths for highlighting Christmas.
- “Suggested Animation” Can Stimulate Higher Buying Response: Dolls and swings, angels and witches hanging from the ceiling or bears decorating Christmas trees.
Source: Barbara Wold’s Retail Planner, The Yearbook.
Download this information in flyer form (PDF).
 
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