LEWISTON – The Maineiacs’ bright blue and orange posters and the team’s memorabilia vie for attention in the windows of what used to be Lamey-Wellehan’s downtown store.

Across Lisbon Street, two headless mannequins sporting the very latest L.L. Bean outdoor wear stand in front of a decorated Christmas tree and scattered snow gear in the storefront of the old Lyceum Hall.

Next door, there are displays from Geiger, the Franco-American Heritage Center and Maine Heritage Weavers in the windows of the old J.J. Newberry Store. While it’s tempting to think the displays are signs of a downtown retail revival, they’re actually indicators of a city beautification project.

Members of the Centreville Neighborhood Association are trying to fill the empty storefronts along Lisbon Street. So far, they have five storefronts occupied; the goal is for 10 by the end of 2005.

“There’s so much activity in downtown right now … and it looks great,” said Paul Badeau, an association member and marketing director for the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Groth Council. “But there’s still that situation where someone is sitting at a red light, and they look left and right. It would be a shame if people left the downtown with the impression that there’s still a lot of empty storefronts, and that’s the lingering impression they carry with them.”

The association contacted the owners of many of the buildings with empty storefronts on Lisbon from Pine Street to Main. Three owners gave their permission for the displays. A second wave of letters to property owners will be going out early next year.

“We want to show them the caliber of what can be done with the storefronts with some time and resources,” said Badeau. The hope is eventually to have the displays lit at night.

He said the association is considering extending an invitation to local artists to use some of the storefronts for exhibition space. A program in San Jose, Calif., called Phantom Galleries, filled that city’s empty storefronts exclusively with work from local artists. Badeau said the neighborhood could use San Jose’s guidelines if it decides to pursue artwork.

The displays will remain in the windows until the properties are occupied; each is designed by the sponsoring business or organization. Volunteers from the neighborhood association cleaned the windows and got the space ready for the displays.

If successful, Badeau thinks the association will extend the storefront program toward the other end of Lisbon Street, approaching the Southern Gateway.