"It was just fantastic," recalls Renee Greer who operates the store along with her husband Tim Greer and their partner Roy Hellickson. "Vern was just so personable and knowledgeable, not one of these stuck up celebrities. We had dozens of people come in and we closed two or three sales because of him. It was really exciting"

The in-store appearance was awarded as the grand prize in a sweepstakes conducted by Invista's Stainmaster brand at Surfaces in LasVegas. Renee said she contacted every media outlet in the California city 40 miles west of Sacramento and bought ads on the local radio station to promote the event.