A magical evening unfolds for grand prize winners
“We felt like celebrities,” exclaimed Joanna Zitny, the grand prize winner of a holiday shopping promotion sponsored by BBM Incorporated and merchants at Main Street Promenade and Washington Corners in downtown Naperville.
On Saturday, Joanna and her husband, Daniel, were picked up at their home by a limousine and treated to a romantic evening of horse-carriage rides, a special dinner for two at Hugo's Frog Bar and Fish Restaurant, and $1,000 in prizes.
“My husband and I had a wonderful Valentine's Day weekend, beginning with the limo ride that took us to Main Street Promenade,” explained Joanna. “We felt really, really special. Most amazing were the people we had a chance to meet who shared this special evening with us.”
The couple was greeted by Teresa Jonasson of BBM Incorporated, store and restaurant managers, chamber of commerce members, and other sponsors of the holiday promotion.
The Zitnys moved to Naperville from Nevada four months ago. According to Joanna, “This is our new home. We loved Naperville from the beginning.” She visited downtown Naperville for the first time in December while relaxing at Coldwater Creek Spa.
As she looked for brochures and some information about businesses in her new town, she noticed the Main Street Promenade Holiday Giveaway advertisement and decided to fill out the entry form. “Truly unbelievable to me, I turned out to be the luckiest one!”
Joanna added, “Daniel and I are pretty impressed with the cozy look of downtown Naperville, the abundance of nice stores, good restaurants, and small businesses. We will definitely call it ‘our town' for a long time.”
Joanna Zitny was one of 14 winners of the holiday promotion. One $100 gift card winner was drawn each week from Thanksgiving weekend through December 24. Then, on New Year's Eve, the grand prize winner was drawn and earned a shopping spree valued at more than $1,000. To enter the drawings, shoppers simply filled out an brief entry form and dropped it in a special box located in the shops and restaurants at Main Street Promenade and Washington Corners in downtown Naperville.
The winners and prizes included:
• Amy Bishop – a teeth-whitening certificate from Smiles by Dr. Gibson and Associates valued at $799
• Judy Carlson – a $100 gift card from Hugo's Frog Bar and Fish House
• Tom Cooney – a $100 gift card from Tangerine
• Tammy Daniele – a $100 gift card from Tangerine
• Connie Epstein – a $500 certificate from Naperville Dental Specialists
• Mary Henert – a cooking class from Sur La Table valued at $160
• Caroline Kent – a $100 gift card from Coldwater Creek Spa
• Kathy Liace – a color Nook gift card from Barnes and Noble valued at $250 and a $100 gift card from Hugo's Frog Bar and Fish House
• Lori Purdue – a $500 gift certificate from Innovative Orthodontics
• Arlene Simonin – a cooking class from Sur La Table valued at $160
• Phil Spencer – a $150 gift basket from Coldwater Creek
• Diane Tabor – a $100 gift card from Restoration Hardware
• Joanna Zitny – $100 gift cards from Sur La Table, Ann Taylor Loft, Joseph A. Bank, J. Jill, Coldwater Creek Spa, Coldwater Creek, Hugo's Frog Bar and Fish House, White House Black Market, Hot Mama, and Barnes and Noble.
Dwight and Ruth Yackley, owners of BBM Incorporated, were very happy with the results of the holiday promotion. Dwight said, “I think it was a great success, and we will consider doing it again next year. We are glad to see that people responded to the drawing. They came from many different communities and filled out a ticket.” He continued, “Many of the merchants have complimented us on the extra activities we had going on throughout the holidays. The horse-drawn carriage rides and barbershop singers were the most popular with the shoppers.”
What did the Yackleys enjoy the most? “I think seeing the look on people's faces when we told them they won something,” Dwight commented. “Once they got over the fact that the won a free gift with no strings attached, they got pretty excited.”
For more information about Main Street Promenade and directions, please visit www.mainstreetpromenade.com.