Competition pairs businesses with designers to up window display game

DETROIT (WJBK) - It's feeling festive in Detroit, with Campus Martius all aglow -- but the Detroit Center For Design And Technology wants more shops to put on a show.

"You know you go to New York - you go to Los Angeles, all these other major cities and it becomes such a thing, these window displays. We have such cool things going on in Detroit. we need to see that happen in our own backyard," said Christopher Stefani.

Which is why Stefani is overseeing the 2nd Annual Holiday Window Walk Competition, pairing local businesses with local designers and asking shoppers to vote for their favorite.

"Give an opportunity to kind of increase foot traffic for holiday shopping, draw people down to the city and really see the talent that we have here in the city," he said.

Some of that talent is on display at Third Man Records in Midtown, where Elise Dechard and Fernando Bales From Campo Collective took holiday to a whole new level.

"We modified some turntables that Third Man donated to us and we put the shapes on top of the record players," Bales said.

"Using the cellophane which really recalls gift wrapping and things like that and the bright colors and the shininess that recalls the season," Dechard said. "And then they're all spinning."

And per the contest rules, they only had a month to do it and could only spend $500.

"You have a limited budget and timeline so you really have to think on your feet and act quickly

It's a little holiday fun with an artistic flair -- Detroit style.

"It's sort of a lost art - it is something that doesn't happen as often as it used to. ... It's kind of like a little amusement park for your eyes - so the more we can do to support that, the better," said Katie Edmunds with Third Man Records.

Shoppers and visitors are encouraged to vote, too. Between Nov. 15-Dec. 3, visitors may add a photo of their favorite display to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter and tagging it with @detdesigntech and using #holidaywindowwalk18.

The stores involved are: