Business feature: Voting still on in restaurant art contest

Everybody likes prizes. Businesses like customers. That combination gave us the green monster art contest.

Do Drop In in Portales is engaging the community with help from the green monster, a character based on its most popular sandwich.

Residents created their best original artwork — 24 inches by 36 inches at the largest — that incorporates the monster.

The contest is over, but customers can vote for their favorites through May 31 at the cafe.

Contestants compete for $25 and $50 gift cards.

Do Drop In Owner Kamille Mountjoy said she’s pleased with the promotional event.

“... (W)e got (entries from) probably 70 little kids, like kindergarten and first grade,” she said.

While this is the first time the contest has been held, Mountjoy said the amount of community interest has already convinced her to make it an annual event.

“I just love involving the community in fun things like this. It’s gonna bring different people in that have never been in,” she said.

Many area business owners have special events designed to increase business, but also for fun.

Cycling might not be everybody’s bag, but Taco Box owner Tom Martin saw in the sport an opportunity to bring riders from far and wide. The ride has been held for the last five years, with much of the proceeds going to the Boy Scouts that help organize the event.

Martin also touted his business’ “Tacos for As” program, which will give students a free taco for every A in their final grading period.

“I think we’re approaching 200,000 (tacos given away),” he said.

Taco Box, which also has a light show during Christmas in Clovis, is always attempting to give back to the community in some way, according to Martin.

“Without the community we don’t exist, and so our idea behind any of our promotions is that we want to aid in the promotion of our community or any of the activities that go on,” he said.

In Portales, Landall’s Box Office also encourages learning while planting its name in participants’ heads. Its reading program gives children a free book each time they come in, with a free rental of an old children’s movie as a reward for completing the book.

“That worked getting kids to read, and they would read something and they would say, ‘Can we go to Landall’s?’” owner Landall Goolsby said. His business has also brought people dressed as characters from the movies “Frozen” and “Spiderman” to take photos with.

“Portales has always been fantastic to me and my family, so any way we can repay it ... just making things more enjoyable for little kids, that’s fantastic,” he said.

Traci Franklin of Traci’s Greenhouse in Clovis holds several open houses for her customers — one on Christmas, and two “ladies nights.”

“(Ladies night is) a planting party where we plant a flower and I give away a free flower and potting soil to fill the pot, and then we have refreshments and food and door prizes and specials,” she said.

These annual gatherings are Franklin’s way of giving back to her community and keeping her business alive in the process.

“I’m thankful and grateful for the community and their love for the store. It makes it worthwhile. You’ve gotta give back to stay in business and keep going,” she said.