NEWPORT BEACH : Balboa Shop Windows to Get a Sprucing Up

Balboa merchants are sponsoring a display window contest in January to spruce up businesses during the post-holiday season.

“January is a slow, dreary month for retailers,” said Dayna Pettit, president of the Balboa Merchants Assn., which represent 150 merchants. “It’s been a tough year economically. We want to people to cheer up and be positive.”

More than a dozen students from the Interior Designers Institute will help the Balboa Boulevard shops by redesigning their display windows. The contest begins Tuesday, and displays will be judged Jan. 15. Shoppers can enter their choice in a ballot box at the Balboa Market and Balboa Pharmacy.

With the city spending about $50,000 to refurbish Main Street in the Balboa village, which is anchored by the Balboa Pavilion and Fun Zone, Pettit said merchants want to make their displays a little more upscale.

“We look at Fashion Island as the leader,” she said, “so we went to the institute to do something creative.”