‘ Wouldn’ t it be amazing if every store had a window like that?’” Kahn recalls.“ And that was the spark. Suddenly, it wasn’ t just a dollhouse— it was a townwide dream.”
To bring the idea to life, Kahn reached out to the renowned Downtown Brattleboro Alliance, the nonprofit behind many of the town’ s signature cultural events. She met with Executive Director Kate Trzaskos and Creative Director Erin Scaggs.“ At first, there was a little skepticism,” said Trzaskos.“ It was such a big idea— transforming downtown into a miniature window stroll inspired by Fifth Avenue, but with a Brattleboro soul. But Melany’ s enthusiasm was absolutely contagious. Before long, everyone was imagining the possibilities.”
Together, they began sketching out the festival’ s framework: a town-wide window stroll, events, competitions, partnerships with schools, and a grand prize for the most creative window displays.“ We wanted to capture the magic of those old department-store windows,” Kahn says,“ but in a way that reflected who we are as a community.”
To rally participants, Kahn co-hosted a“ Sip & Chat” at the Downtown Alliance office in June 2025— a networking event she completely transformed into a festive, food-filled celebration.“ It was wonderful to see merchants get excited about using their creativity in a new way,” said Trzaskos.“ Watching them dream up scenes and share materials and sketches reminded me why Brattleboro is such a creative hub.” By the end of that afternoon, everyone was on board— or as they like to say now,“ fully aboard the mini train.”
By the end of the summer, 60 storefronts signed on to create displays, each offering its own spin on the miniature theme. To encourage participation, Kahn and the Alliance created a tiered stipend system.“ We wanted it to feel accessible,” she explains.“ We weren’ t asking people to spend money— they were already decorating for the holidays. We just asked them to lean into the theme.”
A friendly competition soon emerged, complete with cash prizes and plans for celebrity judges to award categories such as Grand Champion, Champion, Reserve Champion, and People’ s Choice. The ribbons themselves— large, ornate rosettes modeled after those from the Chelsea Flower Show— will mark each winning window.“ It’ s all in good fun,” Kahn says,“ but the rivalry’ s real. Everyone wants that big ribbon.” photo: Dwelling Photography
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