In an effort to measure and increase the number of visits to the business association's website, at least 20 Easter egg icons will be sold to the association's members. These "eggs" will be located on the website and will cost participating merchants $50 each. The idea behind the promotion is to also encourage merchants to become more actively involved in utilizing the site as a business generating tool. Those participating will also post fliers on their front doors or windows stating that a "coupon egg" for their business can be found on the association's website.

The eggs would be "loosely hidden" throughout the website. When users visit the website and click on an egg, what appears is a printable coupon for discounts or freebies from merchants.

"This promotion is a way to help the merchants on Lincoln Avenue use the website as an advertising vehicle," explained Kay Wolf, owner of Posey Garden Florist and the association's second vice president, who first proposed the egg idea. "This is a way for the association to give something back to the merchants."

The association's executive board voted unanimously at its March 11 meeting to approve Wolf's idea, which could bring in $1,000 if all 20 eggs are sold. The promotion is scheduled to run April 6 to 20 at www.downtownwillowglen.org.

Cara Finn, the association's president, said the money raised from the promotion will be earmarked for future website promotions or for upgrading the site.

So far Wolf has visited a handful of Lincoln Avenue merchants, hoping to sell some eggs.

Of course, some members of the association's executive board have said they'll participate, such as Finn, who owns the wine shop The Grapevine, and the association's vice president, Cathy Adkins, who owns Willow Glen Books.

"Well, I agreed partly because I'm on the board," said Adkins, whose coupons will offer 10 percent off her merchandise. "But it's really a chance to see how active our website is and maybe get more traffic to it. And also the merchants feel that they're owed the promotion."

Sylvia and Steve Saldivar, who frequent Lincoln Avenue for lunch, said they might visit the website and click on eggs if the coupons were enticing enough to print out.

"Anything less than 10 or 20 percent off really isn't worth it," Sylvia said. She said she likes visiting the gift store Comforts as well as Freckles Children's Boutique. But Steve prefers the restaurants.

"If Aqui or La Villa offered discounts, then I'd really be interested," Steve said.

Bernie Levine, co-owner of the clothing store Details on Lincoln Avenue, was still deciding whether to participate.

"It looks like a good idea," Levine said, but he hasn't decided what services to offer. That's the same situation Willow Glen Coffee Roasting Company owner Chris Carris said he's in.

"I might try a 'buy-one, get-one-free' on espresso drinks," Carris said.

Adkins, however, looks forward to exploring how the promotions could work out for her in the future.

"Maybe next time I can offer 20 percent off new hardcovers," she said.

Jim and Valerie Magee, who said they visit Lincoln Avenue up to four times a week—and never knew of the association's website—said that it wouldn't be worth their time to print out a coupon unless it was for 10 percent or more off merchandise.

"We visit Peet's and the bookstore a lot," Jim said. "So if they offered some kind of discount I'd definitely be interested."

Kim Jennett, the association's webmaster, who helped launch the website last September in conjunction with Founders' Day, said that she's coding up to six different types of eggs, a couple of which she said have their own distinct "personalities."

Some eggs wear costumes or are decorated with props and some will simply look like decorated Easter eggs, she said.

Jennett adds that whatever coupons appear are completely random.

"Even I won't know where certain eggs will be placed," Jennett said. The website supposedly will randomly place eggs individually or in clusters and will randomly sort coupons with each new visit or whenever a page is refreshed. Of all her clients, Jennett said that this project is the first of its kind.

"I think this promotion is a very unique idea, especially for this type of website," Jennett said, claiming that most other merchants' websites don't promote the surrounding community, whereas the association's website does.

"We're trying to make the website a community-based site," Jennett said, "and I hope this promotion helps do just that."

Wolf said that if the Easter egg promotion works out well, it could carry over to other seasonal promotions, such as clicking on pumpkins for Halloween or hearts for Valentine's Day.