An East Aurora company that sells novelties which appeal to all ages now has a one-in-three chance of being spotlighted in a 30-second commercial during next February's Super Bowl television broadcast.
Vidler's 5 & 10 has been named one of three finalists in a contest sponsored by Intuit, which is using its "Small Business, Big Game" contest to offer a small business the all-expenses-paid TV spot, which has an estimated value of $4.5 million.
Intuit uses this contest to plug its product Quickbooks, a small business accounting and finance software package.
The other two finalists are a clothing maker in California and a coffee maker located just a few miles north of Albany. The five-and-dime, located in the heart of the village, advanced to the final round thanks to a massive online voting campaign.
"We think Western New York as a whole is very supportive of anything positive in the region," said Vidler's co-owner Cliff DeFlyer. "I think that's what put us over the top over some of these big-market teams, just the feeling of community and the people stepping up in all avenues"
It's not the first attempt by an East Aurora entity to gain national attention this year. Located a short walk away from Vidler's on Riley Street is an ice rink which originated as the one used by the Buffalo Sabres in the National Hockey League's 2009 Winter Classic game at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Earlier this year, the Aurora Ice Association, the non-profit which acquired the rink and has since renovated and expanded the grounds to include a forthcoming lodge, entered into the Kraft Hockeyville contest in a bid to win money for further capital projects but was ultimately unsuccessful.
DeFlyer and the staff at Vidler's hope the store's unique, perhaps quirky nature will make it stand out when Intuit representatives choose and announce a winner in January. As a five-and-dime, the store aims to keep alive a slice of America that is hard to find these days.
"We're getting away from everything big box," said DeFlyer. "We're getting back to grassroots small-town America."
DeFlyer told WBFO that Intuit has invited the finalists to attend a public relations event next week in new York City. The contest sponsors, he said, are planning a campaign that will give the contenders some valuable exposure, even without the Super Bowl ad.
"I think Quickbooks is interested in helping us, even through the Christmas season, get a little more publicity."
DeFlyer said the public can no longer influence the outcome, but he offered his thanks to the community for its support.
