Radio listeners nominate and vote for the 98-year-old candy store as “Best of the 207”
Scarborough, Maine, March 20, 2023 — Nothing’s sweeter than learning that your business took First Place in the category of Candy Store in a statewide contest among radio-listening Mainers — especially when you didn’t even know about the contest!
That’s how Len Libby Candies co-owners Gisele and John DeGrinney felt when they learned — through a friend’s text, no less — that they took First Place in the Portland Radio Group’s inaugural “Best of the 207” statewide contest. The contest was conducted last fall, and the results were released in February of this year.
“We couldn’t believe it,” says John DeGrinney. “We didn’t even know about the contest. We’re usually so busy making candy and trying to create a pleasant shopping experience for our customers, we’re often out of the loop on campaigns such as this. So this win was truly organic and a genuine reflection of our customers’ love for our products and our store. We are so very honored.
“We are also humbled,” continued DeGrinney. “We know we are among some stiff competition, with so many great candy companies calling the State of Maine home. The only catch now is, after having started out on top, the pressure’s on to keep it up!” he quipped.
The Portland Radio Group’s “Best of the 207” contest was a new campaign for the organization last fall, in which it invited listeners statewide to nominate and vote for their favorite businesses in any category they wanted. The exhaustive, four-month contest, which the radio group conducted and administered with the help of a third-party sponsor, yielded almost 70,000 votes for more than 750 businesses. The votes were then divided into 240 categories, including Best Candy Store, in which Len Libby Candies placed as the Gold Medal Winner.
Portland Radio Group has said it intends to conduct the contest, which was a resounding success, on an annual basis, with the collection of nominations and votes every fall. To see the Len Libby listing in the group’s online publication with the contest results, click here.