COEUR d’ALENE —  Early this week, Dan Clark of Clark’s Diamond Jewelers was optimistic hundreds would win with their “Let It Snow” campaign.

They needed 4 inches of snow to fall Jan. 11 at Spokane International Airport, and some forecasters were calling for anywhere from 1 to 5 inches of snow on that date.

“We were geared up to get 4 to 5 inches of snow,” Clark said. “It looked really promising.”

But early flurries faded Thursday morning and, by day’s end, the National Weather Service reported that only a trace of snow fell for the day.

“The wind blew it all up to Wallace,” Clark said.

If not for those winds pushing several inches of snow to the town about 45 miles to the east of Coeur d’Alene, purchases made at the Sherman Avenue jewelry store between late November and late December would have been refunded.

It’s happened twice before, and hundreds of thousands of dollars went back to Clark’s customers.

“Everyone wins,” Clark said. “It’s fun for everybody.”

The Let It Snow campaign, he added, is “better than the lottery.”

“Plus you get some fine jewelry out of the deal,” Clark said. 

He said they may bring the popular promotion back next year, if they can line up insurance.

“We go into this wanting it to happen more than anybody. It’s something we do that sets us apart,” Clark said. “And we’re not your average retail jeweler to start with.”

Clark’s Diamond Jewelers is an independent store that has been around since 1907 and is still at its original location, 307 Sherman Ave.