Businesses in Proctorville and Chesapeake participated in a fall decoration contest as part of Operation Tidy Up Lawrence County.

The goal of the contest was to give businesses an extra incentive in dressing up and cleaning up their storefronts to help beautify the community. Winners were selected from both villages.

“Little things like this go a long way,” said Mark Hupp, owner of M&K Maytag who won first place in Proctorville. “It just makes our little community look a little cleaner, a littler nicer, and it draws attention to our businesses.”

Hupp, whose wife decorates their store every year, said they were unaware of the contest initially but were happy to hear that they had won.

“We didn’t know about it at first,” he said. “My wife does this every year and she kind of goes all out with it. When we were told we won it was really nice. Lots of people have congratulated us.”

In Chesapeake, the Sugar Shak and G&L Pro Shop, which businesses share a storefront claimed first prize with a set of decorations meant to make people feel at home.

“We just wanted our store to feel warm and welcoming,” Tammy Stewart, owner of the Sugar Shak said. “We wanted to make it like home and make people feel comfortable.”

Linda Waddell, co-owner of the G&L Pro Shop, says the decorations have economic benefits, especially if more businesses participate in up-coming contests.

“People will come to see the decorations. The more stores involved the better,” Waddell said. “We have some big plans for our decorations around Christmastime. We hope people will come down to take a look at our decorations and spend a few minutes in our stores. It’s all about making people feel good.”

The judges for the contest were Tom Bell and Lisa Riley from Huntington in Bloom. The winners received a trophy while the second and third place runners-up were presented with ribbons.