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At A&M Home Center in Bowling Green, Virginia, Christmas is a way of life for manager Randy Hageman and his daughter Lacey Hageman Mills. Each year during the holiday season, the windows and storefront of A&M Home Center are wrapped in sparkling lights, merry ornaments and exquisite decorations—mostly made out of lumber and supplies from the store.
Multiple local businesses in the town of Bowling Green participate in a Christmas storefront decorating contest each year, decking out their stores to impress the competition’s four judges. This season’s judging panel included two local business owners, a freelance writer from Fredericksburg Free Press and the head of Caroline’s Promise, a local, youth-focused nonprofit organization in Bowling Green.
A&M Home Center won the competition unanimously this year, with its elaborate Christmas trees, presents and holiday vignettes. The store’s display included a fireplace scene complete with
stockings hung on a mantle and wood logs in the fireplace; a gingerbread couple drinking hot chocolate; Christmas trees and presents wrapped in red bows and a sign reading, “Santa stop here.”
Many of the decorations for the display were handmade by Lacey and using paint from the store.
Flower pots were flipped upside down to make Christmas bells, presents were crafted from the store’s wood pallets, candy canes were created from PVC pipes and Christmas trees were made from 2×4 boards and lattice. Lacey even cut down a real tree to make the fireplace columns, logs for the fireplace and Christmas tree trunks.
The display brings joy to the Bowling Green community and Randy’s customers every year. Since the display was taken down for the season, customers have purchased two of the lattice trees and a pallet present, and Lacey has been commissioned to make a custom present for another shopper.
“This really brought great reactions from other businesses and the general public,” Randy says. “We’ve heard comments like, ‘Your store is awesome’ and ‘You’ve brought the holiday spirit to town.’”
Out of the five years A&M Home has entered the competition, the store has won first place three times, second place once and third place once. Randy says a secret to his success is his enthusiastic Christmas spirit and his daughter’s creativity.
“Being nearly 67 years of age and still having that great Christmas spirit really helps and having a daughter who is just like me really helps as well,” he says. “We’re always thinking outside the box and trying to achieve that shock and awe effect on children and adults that shop and pass by our store every day.”
Randy and Lacey are already planning next year’s display, hoping to bring even more Christmas cheer to the community and snag a repeat victory.
“We are kicking around a couple of ideas for next year, possibly a Candy Land theme or a gingerbread theme,” Randy says. “But if something else comes to mind, things could change at the last minute. It’s almost like the last episode of a season of your favorite show when you’re wondering what’s to come—it’s all part of the Christmas magic.”
