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Her idea still wins, in a way

By MADHUSMITA BORA
Published March 14, 2007

She couldn't clinch the grand prize of $100,000 and a free Manhattan storefront for a year.

But Given Campbell is coming home with resources to launch an online wallpaper store.

The Tampa woman was among 5,000 applicants nationwide who participated in Microsoft's Ideawins.com contest for the best small-business idea in America. Three New Jersey performance poets beat Campbell with their idea of opening a spoken-word performance workshop and cafe.

Campbell's plan involved a wallpaper store that allows clients to create their own design. She launched the business on a smaller scale from a Tampa studio about two years ago and was getting a lot of interest, she said.

"I don't feel like I lost anything," Campbell said in a phone interview from New York. "You couldn't buy this kind of publicity."

Microsoft will launch Campbell's online business, help her with online support and offer business counseling.

"We were really impressed with her business plan," said Carlene Chmaj, a spokeswoman for Microsoft. "She has a lot of great opportunities for online marketability."

Campbell said she read about the contest online and decided to apply. "I knew it would be tough, but I was hoping the idea would stand out," she said.

Campbell said she's looking forward to returning home and working with the Microsoft team.

"I know there's good things coming," she said.

Madhusmita Bora can be reached at bora@sptimes.com.

[Last modified March 13, 2007, 23:03:56]