By Dylan J. Stone
A window display competition amongst local businesses has erupted ahead of the Broken Heel Festival this weekend, with several local businesses taking part in the first Heel Festival window display competition in three years.
Esther La Rovere, from the Palace Hotel and an organiser of the Broken Heel Festival, said “the window display competition was initially born out of the first year of the festival, as participants commented on the welcoming and friendly nature of the city.
The participants were heartened to see the strong level of support from the local business community with the display of flags to celebrate the event.”
Peter Nash, from Sampsons Shoes, says, “the influx of visitors for the Festival will be great news for the local business community.
The tourist boom that the Heel festival will bring to Broken Hill will ensure all sectors of the Broken Hill economy benefit from these visitors who in past years have been cashed up and been ready to eat, drink and be merry.
The hospitality sector, be it pubs, clubs or restaurants all benefit whilst the art galleries and tourist attractions have all previously reported increased sales over the Broken Heel weekend.’ Mr Nash noted.
The window display competition, according to Ms La Rovere, is a, “great, yet simple way for businesses to get involved with the Festival, because this event has a strong impact on people visiting our city.”
As such, the winners of the competition will be awarded two three-day passes to the Heel Festival, and the winners will be announced on ABC Radio on Friday morning.
Sampson’s Shoes has entered this year’s window display competition, with Mr Nash noting, “our staff have had fun creating our feature Heel window, finding lots of weird and wonderful coloured heels from the past years that we have deliberately kept to add a touch of wow to the weekend.”
Other businesses along Argent Street have similarly spruced up their windows to reflect the colour and quirk of the Heel Festival, and locals and tourists alike should take a tour down the main drag this week to see how our local businesses are welcoming festivalgoers.
Mr Nash hopes the window display competition will encourage businesses to, “continue to support the event, especially during the Saturday morning parade which is a free event for locals to come to town and checkout the costumes and displays”.
Local businesses who would like to enter the competition, or are seeking more information, are urged to email the Palace Hotel on [email protected], or call reception during business hours on 08 8088 1699.
