Long Beach, CA (December 21, 2023) – The Downtown Long Beach Alliance (DLBA) is excited to announce the winners of the inaugural “Illuminate Downtown” storefront decoration contest. The following winners have earned $500 in donations to a locally based nonprofit of their choosing and $500 in gift certificate giveaways that will be posted on the DLBA Instagram account over the next several weeks.
- 1st Place – “The Most Illuminated” Award – Modica’s Restaurant & Deli (Benefiting YMCA of Greater Long Beach – Community Development YMCA)
- 2nd Place – “Local Pride & Joy” Award – Stinkin Crawfish of Long Beach (Benefiting The Aquarium of the Pacific)
- 3rd Place – “Holiday Spirit” Award – Caravana Furniture Inc. (Benefiting Friends of Long Beach Animals)
A community vote also took place that allowed participants to vote once per day. The competition was fierce, but the following business took the final award earning the most votes in total.
- Community Vote Award – Wildflower Beauty + Brows (Benefiting Sowing Seeds of Change)
Photos of the winning displays are available here.
The competition began with DLBA inviting businesses in Downtown to participate in a storefront decorating contest to “Illuminate Downtown” in coordination with the décor provided annually by DLBA and the Convention Center. 18 businesses entered with a set of criteria to follow. Three businesses had a chance to win based on how they decorated within the criteria, and one could win based on a community at-large vote. Businesses often posted daily on social media encouraging their patrons to vote.
“I loved seeing downtown businesses get into both the festive and competitive spirit,” said DLBA President & CEO Austin Metoyer. “This time of year is all about giving and making people proud. Proud of their community, proud of their business, proud of however they choose to celebrate the holidays, and proud of Long Beach. I was excited to see all the cool decorations and I’m happy we were able to do this! I was especially happy to see so many parts of Downtown participate.”
Each participating business did an amazing job at decorating their storefront. Most businesses decorated because they enjoy how it makes their visitors feel.
“I had a lot of fun decorating my restaurant this year and creating a festive and communal atmosphere for my guests and community,” said Orsa Modica, the owner of Modica’s restaurant and deli and this year’s first place winner. “It truly brings me joy to put a smile on people’s faces and bring holiday cheer. It was great to see many of my neighbors in East Village also decorating and participating in this friendly competition. I’m thrilled that our outdoor decorations received the highest score and even more delighted that the $500 prize will be donated to the YMCA of Greater Long Beach – Community Development YMCA.”
All participating businesses, their address and benefiting nonprofit are listed here:
- Caravana Furniture Inc. // 975 Long Beach Blvd. // Friends of Long Beach Animals
- Long Beach Vintage Etc. // 737 Pine Ave. // Making Biscuit Cats Care
- Brushstrokes and Beverages // 501 E. Broadway Unit C // Assistance League of Long Beach
- Scholars Collective // 236 E. 3rd St. // Intellectual Virtues Academy
- Burke Mercantile // 435 E. 1st St // Long Beach Community Table
- RDC-Studio One Eleven // 245 E. Third Street // Sowing Seeds of Change
- Envy Beauty Studio // 314 Elm Ave. // Food Finders
- Stinkin Crawfish of Long Beach // 150 E. Broadway // Aquarium of the Pacific
- Birdies n Brews // 90 E. 4th St. Long Beach // Long Beach Ronald McDonald House
- Long Beach Public Library // 200 W. Broadway // Friends of the Long Beach Public Library
- MASAYA // 501B Pine Ave. // CityheART
- East Village Cafe // 443 E. 1st Long Beach Blvd. // Friends of Long Beach Animals
- Record Box // 324 Elm Ave. // Place.LB
- Anna’s Joint // 443 Pine Ave. // Adventures to Dreams Enrichment
- The Carvery // 201 Pine Ave. // Long Beach Blues Society
- Secret Island // Underneath 209 Pine Ave. // Casa Youth Shelter
- Modica’s Restaurant & Deli // 455 E. Ocean Blvd. // YMCA of Greater Long Beach
- Wildflower Beauty + Brows // 429 E. 1st Street // Sowing Seeds of Change
DLBA intends to continue this program in the future. For a video spotlighting many of the participating businesses on Instagram, click here.
For more info on the contest, click here.
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About the Downtown Long Beach Alliance: DLBA is a non-profit, community-based organization whose mission is to cultivate, preserve and promote a healthy, safe, and prosperous Downtown for all. By balancing the interests of the residents, as well as businesses, the DLBA creates tangible progress by way of vested interest and solidified partnerships across local, municipal, and commercial lines. For additional information, visit www.downtownlongbeach.org, or follow on Facebook @downtownlongbeach, and on X (formerly Twitter) @dlba and Instagram @dlba.