Window Shopping Returns To Downtown Detroit

DETROIT (WWJ) - Window shopping is coming back to downtown Detroit.  Spokesman Dan Mullen says a real estate company called Bedrock has put up giant advertisements on the storefront windows of an empty building it  just purchased on Woodward near John R.

"There's a few American-made Chevy cars on display right now with inspirational watches that replicate the year that the cars were being made," Mullen explained. "It's really big, bright, beautiful."

The fathead images are accompanied by a QR code. When you scan it with your smartphone, it takes you to a website where you can buy the products on the spot.

Watchwear distributor, Resultco's Jeff Freedman, said he got the idea from South Korea, where residents can shop for groceries on their mobile phones.

"If you come to downtown Detroit, the windows are usually empty, and it's wrong," said Freedman.

"This is an opportunity to take technology, and take QR code, and take advantage of the situation," he said. "Detroit is filled with a lot of empty windows and, rather than have a poorly papered building, why don't you just put up something that's attractive and make it look beautiful?"

Freedman said they're already sold a couple of watches and he wants the idea to spread. "We're really hoping that once we have a perfume store or a match-dot-com, travel agencies, shoes, clothing, women's purses -- you could literally walk the streets and say, "Oh, I like that. I'll buy it."