Downtown Evanston and the City of Evanston have announced the winners of the 2015 Evanston Holiday Window Decorating Contest. The “Joy to the World” themed contest inspired more than 20 businesses throughout Evanston to create vibrant windows with a variety of materials and concepts.
“I congratulate the winners and thank all the businesses that participated for brightening the business districts and neighborhoods,” said Annie Coakley, executive director of Downtown Evanston. “I am so impressed with the display of creativity and encourage everyone to visit the participating businesses through the holiday season to see the windows in person and shop locally.”
Businesses were invited to decorate their windows with various materials and allowed to work with local artists or designers. Windows were decorated to coincide with Small Business Saturday, a nation-wide movement to support local businesses. Three of the awards were decided by a panel of judges: Best Interpretation of Theme, Best Use of Merchandise, and Judges’ Favorite. The fourth award, “Fan Favorite” was decided by members of the public who voted for their favorite window.
The winners are:
Best Interpretation of Theme: Stumble & Relish, 1310 Chicago Ave.
Best Use of Merchandise: Collage Café, 912 Sherman Ave.
Judges’ Favorite: Happy Husky Bakery, 2601 Prairie Ave.
Fan Favorite: Avail & Company, 1106 Davis St.
The window decorating contest is part of a series of events organized by the City of Evanston and Downtown Evanston to encourage residents to shop and dine at Evanston’s businesses during the holiday season. Information about other events is available at shopevanstonfortheholidays.com.