Fact & Fiction Bookstore won the Missoula Downtown Association’s Best Overall Window in the annual Downtown Window Decorating Competition. One of 14 participating businesses, Fact and Fiction won the admiration of the Downtown community with their display depicting a snowman sitting at a typewriter.
Other categories and winners this year include:
Most Festive – Rocky Mountain School of Photography (216 N. Higgins Ave.)
Best Use of Small Space – Noteworthy Paper and Press (101 S. Higgins Ave.)
Kids’ Choice – Uptown Optical (111 N. Higgins Ave.)
Most Elegant – e3 Convergence Gallery (229 W. Main St.)
“The Fact & Fiction booksellers are excited to have created a fun prize winning window for the 2015 Downtown Holiday Season,” said Barbara Theroux, owner of Fact & Fiction. “The talents of Mara Panich-Crouch and Chloe Reynolds took my suggestion to build a snowman and created Author Snowman working on a first novel Brain Freeze: A Psychological Thriller. Mara came to work on Black Friday with the paper mache shape and the creativity continued; unfortunately, a few advance reading copies were harmed in the process. Having a fun window is our way of saying ‘Thank You’ to all in Missoula who support Downtown!”
The MDA thanks all businesses who participated in the competition and urges shoppers to come Downtown and take a peek at all the decorated windows as they finish their holiday shopping this weekend. Don’t miss the winners, as well as displays at A & E Architects, Adventure Cycling, The Artists’ Shop, Betty’s Divine, Bitterroot Flower Shop, La Stella Blu, Mood Boutique, Repertoire Art & Design, and Taste Buds Kitchen.
The Downtown Window Decorating Competition has been an annual holiday promotion in Downtown Missoula since 1999. Winners were selected by community voting both online and in stores from December 4-16. Winners receive a gourmet cookie platter from Bernice’s Bakery to share with staff and shoppers. The windows will remain decorated throughout the Holiday Season for Missoulians to come Downtown and enjoy.
In addition to Downtown businesses decorating their windows for the holidays, several groups came together to bring holiday cheer to the Missoula Mercantile windows. The display includes information about local programs, decorated trees, lights surrounding every window, and schedules highlighting holiday happenings throughout Missoula. Decoration of the mercantile windows was led by the Missoula Downtown Association and Destination Missoula, and joined by A Carousel for Missoula, The Artists’ Shop, the Flagship Program, the Missoula Downtown Foundation, and United Way of Missoula County.
For more information, contact the Missoula Downtown Association at 543-4238 or kristen@missouladowntown.com.