Hi, I have some fresh purple hyacinth bean vine seeds if interested. Let me know. Carol

I've just gotten off the phone with the radio station and they were nice enough to tell me who the winner is and, unfortunately, it isn't Marty. I was, frankly, floored that she hadn't won by a landslide, but she didn't. I do honestly think that she had the best costume and thank all of you for your kindness and efforts to help her with your votes. She told her sis, (my bestfriend) last night that the best thing about this contest would not be winning, but the wonderful kindness, support and thoughtful comments from you all here on GW. Ultimately, I think that this is what GW forums are really all about, The kindness of strangers. Thank you all so much! Lynn BTW, this is the gal who did win:

I've just gotten off the phone with one of the managers at the radio station and . . . Marty did not win. I'm heartbroken for her and, frankly, floored that someone else received more votes. Partially because of all of our help here, but even more so because her costume was really, really good. I could only get a thumbnail view of the gal who won, but this is her: (Sigh!) Thank you all very, very much for all your efforts, your help and your encouragement. Marty was so incredibly touched yesterday by your kind words. I'm going to link her here to read them herself. Many thanks and a hug to each and every one of you! Lynn

First of all, she should use what she has. If she kept records of the designers that worked with her last year, she should do a mailing to them with some kind of incentive/discount deal, or a "tell a friend" kind of discount. Word of mouth is still one of the greatest marketing tools there is....get them back and get them talking about her shop. Also, she can contact local realtors, who often do staging. And if there are any colleges in your area that have design programs, she might consider contacting them and doing a discount program for student designers or new designers. Deedee99's idea is great too...when a novice goes into a hardware store to buy paint, they'll need to decorate soon after, so she should have her cards with other merchants. And never underestimate the power of facebook...getting just a few locals to "like" your page can spread the word like wildfire. Has she considered hosting a design event in the store? Okay, I'm shutting up now, before I get completely out of control! =D