Paint It Gold for Painting with Flowers

Long a Main Street mecca for beautiful home décor and lifestyle gifts, Painting with Flowers garners the April "Golden Storefront" Award for its winning curb appeal.

Store owner Gayle Silver said she creates inviting window displays every two months and changes the outdoor décor seasonally. Topiaries and wreathes festoon the store entrance while window boxes bloom with carefully tended seasonal flowers and plants.

"Our store is about beautifying your home," Silver said. "We extend that philosophy to the curb appeal of the store."

The Golden Storefront Award is a joint effort of community groups Residents for a More Beautiful Washington (RFMBPW) and the Greater Port Washington Business Improvement District (BID). 

"Gayle just put a fresh coat of paint on the store even before she knew she won our April award," said Mindy Germain, executive director of RFMBPW. "Her carefully tended façade and blooming window boxes truly illustrates what this award about. Painting with Flowers is a real Port institution." 

The "Golden Storefront" is awarded monthly. Votes for merchants can be cast Residents' Web site. Previous winners include Finn Mac Cools, Sullivan's Quay, White Plus One, SVH Interiors, Louie's Oyster Bar & Grille and H on the Harbor.

The Golden Storefront Award recognizes local merchants for maintaining attractive, well-groomed public facades and sidewalks. Winners must maintain a debris-free storefront and sidewalk area, weed and water sidewalk tree beds, regularly sweep sidewalks, adhere to trash collection schedules and maintain clear sightlines into store windows.