 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.
El Cajon Grand Wins The LUTHie!
 On Thursday, December 10, the second annual LUTHie Award was presented to Alex and Julie Kalogianis, owners of El Cajon Grand, located at 351 West Main Street in Downtown El Cajon.The award is a trophy modeled after the infamous leg lamp from the movie “A Christmas Story,” and will be displayed in El Cajon Grand until it’s awarded to next year’s winner.
This award is part of the “Light up the Holidays” (LUTH) program that has been a part of El Cajon Community Development Corporation’s revitalization efforts for several years. Businesses decorate their storefronts and windows with holiday displays, inviting people to visit Downtown El Cajon during the Holidays. 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; this year’s Secret Santa was Monica Zech, Public Information Officer for the City of El Cajon. Out of total points possible of 24, El Cajon Grand received 23 points, with Honorable Mentions to Mangia Bene Ristorante Italiano, Fantastic Sam’s, and Glamour Girlz. El Cajon CDC wishes to thank the many businesses who participated and encourages everyone to participate in 2010.
Please stop by El Cajon Grand during the holiday season and enjoy a refreshing beverage while you’re shopping at one of Downtown El Cajon’s local shops. El Cajon Grand also has a live entertainment schedule, karaoke nights, and even an outdoor patio available for private parties. For more information visit their website at www.elcajongrand.com.
“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.
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