The application deadline is less than a month away for Garden Centers of America's new Bathroom Award, which was created to recognize garden centers that have outstanding restrooms.
The customer base for independent garden centers is estimated to be 80 percent women, and one of the elements appreciated by women is a clean, fresh and well designed restroom.
The GCA Bathroom Awards will be presented at the GCA Annual Meeting and Luncheon on Aug.18 the IGC Show in Chicago. The top award to be presented is the "Best of the Best Award," and the recipient will receive a plaque and two Comp Registrations on the 2012 GCA Summer Tour in Detroit. Other recognition will be a Gold Award, Silver Award and several Awards of Merit. These winners will also be recognized at the Awards Luncheon during the IGC Show with an appropriate plaque.
To enter the restroom competition, garden centers should send the name of their store, address, and a contact person at the store for questions along with their telephone and e-mail address. Also several pictures of your bathroom saved in jpeg file format should be sent in along with a brief paragraph about the bathroom, why is it designed the way it is, and its benefit at the garden center. The information should be sent to info@gardencentersofamerica.org.
Judges will review the photographs and paragraph description and grade the entries on creativity and comfort to the customer's overall shopping experience. All independent garden centers are eligible to enter. Membership in GCA is not required to enter the contest.