UPDATE: Healdsburg Woman Wins First "North of the Square Holiday Shopping Crawl'

NOTE: This article was updated on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011 to correct the spelling of Carmen Puccinelli's last name.

When Carmen Puccinelli bought a wallet Friday night from during the annual she thought she was done with browsing the shops.

"Then Chris said to me, 'Do you have one of these?'" she said, referring to a "passport" slip of paper that Foley held up for her to see.

The "passport," created and designed by owner Jill Tesconi of Healdsburg's required eight "stamps" from eight stores north of Healdsburg Plaza. No purchase was necessary -- just a visit to each shop to get the stamp.

In addition to Chris Foley's store, Puccinelli needed seven more stamps to be entered into a drawing for a $350 gift basket.

Puccinelli, who was born and raised in Healdsburg and who has lived here 35 years, figured "why not?," she said. "I just sent my daughter [Maureen Jones] out to do it."

It was a good hunch: Puccinelli fully stamped passport was fished out of a pile of the almost 40 "passport" contest entries submitted.

"Now I have to share with her [Jones]," Puccinelli quipped when she came Tuesday to Tesconi's me2u vintage store to pick up her prize.

Tesconi, and neighboring owners Levi White and Tyler Muhle, said Tesconi's ides, dubbed,was a big success.

"We had a lot of people coming through," White said. "And there were lots of locals -- that's really good; that's who we want."

Tesconi, whose business abuts the parking lot of the and who is off the main swirl of foot traffic, said she came up with the idea in order to raise awareness about Healdsburg businesses that are north of the Healdsburg Plaza.

"When there's some kind of event going on at the Square, people go to it and then they leave," she said. "They don't really know that they can easily walk to other shops and explore off the Square."

Just like some stores on the south side of the Plaza that used lumenaria, or bags on the ground with candles inside, to light the way off the Plaza, the north end shops used candles, balloons and colored lights, Tesconi said.

"People were really receptive," she said. "It's really easy walking distance -- and some customers got competitive about the stamps."

Besides me2u vintage, Earth Buddha and Chris Foley, participating stores included Alma's Oilcloths, Gina's Boutique, The Cheese Shop and

"Every store put something in the gift basket," Tesconi said.