Between Nov. 29 and Dec. 1, shoppers could obtain a card from one of several merchants in downtown Campbell and have it stamped by at least eight of the 16 participating retail stores and restaurants on E. Campbell Avenue between Central Avenue and Railroad Way to qualify for the drawing. All the stamped cards had to be returned to Leiko owner Stacie Tamaki by 9 p.m. on Dec. 1.

The idea behind the event was to encourage people to browse through and shop in as many downtown stores as possible so customers would remember and come back to downtown Campbell for their holiday shopping.

A total of 181 cards were turned in, said Tamaki, who coordinated the event. She calculated that the event created an estimated 1,267 more visits to all the participating stores.

Customers obtaining all 16 stamps were eligible for a separate drawing worth about $200 in donated products and gift certificates.

"I thought it was a very successful event," Tamaki said. "Everyone said it was a great idea."

Customers came from as far away as Sunol and San Rafael, but most were residents of Campbell and San Jose.

The winner of the grand prize was a San Jose resident who was taking his grandchildren to see the Carol of Lights.

He won a $1,000 prize package that included a bottle of wine, an interior design certificate, candles and other prizes donated by participating stores.

The overall reaction from downtown vendors was positive.

"It gave us a lot of exposure," said Kasé owner Kathy Obot.

Dana Smith, owner of The Stone Griffin, agreed.

"I saw a lot of kids towing parents," Smith said. He enjoyed watching the parents following their children from store to store getting their cards stamped.

The success of the holiday event has led to talks of doing something similar in the spring, when sales are usually slower. The second event might include all the downtown vendors.

But this first-time experience has led merchants to rethink next year's events.

Tamaki said she won't be coordinating the next event because it took a lot of time to organize, given the short notice. The event was organized in a few weeks' time, with Tamaki providing the stamps and printing the cards on her computer.

If the event is repeated, the merchants will also consider splitting the $1,000 prize into two.

"Next time we might do a separate prize pack just for kids," Tamaki said.

The $1,000 prize included a bottle of wine, which would have been removed from the package had a child won.

The event also created a few concerns.

"People were very passionate about how things should be done," Tamaki said.

Smith said the problem with doing an event that involves so many people is that everyone has ideas but only one idea can be implemented.

"I think I would have changed it a bit," Obot said. "But you don't know anything until you try it the first time."

Some merchants also did not like having customers going into their stores just to get a stamp without browsing the store or making a purchase.

Tamaki said, "I only had one merchant complain that people came in just to get stamps. But my response was that immediate sales were not the goal."

A few stores did make immediate sales over the weekend event, including The Stone Griffin and Leiko.

But the primary purpose of the event was to promote customer awareness and to spread the word about the vendors' products, Tamaki said.

Smith said that most of the people coming in did look around the store. And Tamaki added she was able to engage most of the people in her store in conversation.

The addresses on the cards will be used to compile a database so customers can be contacted about future events.