Local business owners and artists are using their skills to raise money for charity.
“It’s not that altruistic,” said Roxana Montero, owner of …Mad Lion Gallery. “It’s a way to get our name out there, my business, her business, the bevy of artists that she has in her studio, get their work out there, their names out there. But in the end whatever funds are made go to two local charities.”
Some painted doors are pooping up in stores in the Downtown Altoona area.
“I had amassed over 30 doors and my partner Tony says ‘Gotta get rid of em. Gotta do something. They’re taking up too much space,'” Montero said.
So, Montero got together with LaVonne Falbo, owner of LaVintage Decor, and the two decided to use creativity for a cause.
“When you do a project like this, sometimes you get a little nervous it doesn’t progress exactly as you had it in your mind, but now it’s starting to take that life on and I’m getting very excited about it,” Falbo said. “[We’re] finding out that we have some bids and that’s another nuance of the project.”
It takes a careful eye to spot some of these doors, but you’ll know if you see a sign in the window, it’s just inside that local business.
“I just heard about the project and I thought that would be a fun thing to do,” said Vicky Buda, “and I like doing, going around and see different places and it’s like a scavenger hunt.”
There are 23 doors hidden around the town. Buda has found 17 so far.
“You find the door, you take the selfie, and then you’re supposed to post it, where it’s at and the number and that gives the other people clues, which, you know, helps,” she said.
Each business has a box with envelopes. Once you find a door, you can bid on it and put your bid in that box. The starting bid is just a dollar, and all the money raised goes to either the Central PA Humane Society or the American Cancer Society.
“Support us ’cause we support community,” Montero said.
The project wraps up at the end of October. For more information, head to https://www.facebook.com/AltoonaCitywideDoorProject/?fref=ts