There are dozens of unique business in Downtown Salem. Five of them – Fedstar, Antiques by the Market, Kids Stuff, Hidden Treasures Consignments and O’Brien Meats – competed in a window decorating contest on Friday, March 17.

An initiative of the grassroots citizen organization Salem 215, the purpose of the contest was to increase traffic and support the local businesses. Carrie Cox, Laura Tucker, Justin Cox, Melinda Payne and Judy Hough served as the five judges. They all agreed that each business had a nice display which made picking a winner that much harder.

“Too often people get caught up in complaining about what Salem doesn’t have. We have a lot of good stuff here,” Carrie said. “I’ve always been of the mindset of ‘let’s celebrate what do have and that may encourage more businesses to come to Salem.’”

Known for specializing in designer clothing, Hidden Treasures has been in business for many years. O’Brien Meats has been a staple in the community for over two decades. By coming in first place, both businesses earned 100 dollars each.

It’s well documented that most local business can use more traffic and that is what Salem 215 is committed to doing. “We are hoping to get as many downtown businesses involved as possible. We want people to know you don’t have to travel out of town to get certain things that you need,” Carrie said. “It could be in the heart of Downtown Salem. We want to increase the foot and pedestrian traffic for our downtown businesses.”