Window of opportunity: Scenics with static cling

HELENA — Lots of big ideas start small. After a number of false starts, local entrepreneur Greg Brask believes he’s onto one of those.

By John Harrington of Montana Lee Newspapers

“ I come up with a lot of ideas, but most of the ideas I come up with, my wife just rolls her eyes and I know to never bring them up again,” he laughed. But this one, he says, is different.

His idea? Static cling translucent window coverings that can trans form a dismal view of the alley or a parking lot into a majestic view of the Tetons or the natural serenity of a mountain stream.

Will it work? It’s too early to tell, but if nothing else, Brask and his company, What A Window!, certain ly provide a case study in the American entrepreneurial spirit.

Retailing for $49.99, the plastic sheets called WindowViews can be cut to fit most standard window sizes, both vertical and horizontal. Available designs include mountain vistas, forest scenery and a warm tropical beach.

Four years in the making, Brask’s WindowViews debuted one yea r ago at the International Windows Covering Expo in Baltimore. He spent much of the first few years tracking down the patent for print ing on static cling material and securing a license to use the tech nology.

He initially lined up seven investors who, he said, put up $110,000 in venture capital. Feeling like he’s on the verge of the product taking off, he’s now gearing up to seek another round of private fund ing, with a possible share of the company for someone willing to back him.

Brask sees markets for his idea everywhere he looks — everywhere there’s a window. Eventually, he hopes to sell to hospitals, nursing homes, restaurants, offices and col lege dorms, not to mention the mil lions of urban apartment dwellers who might rather look at a serene mountain v ista than the backside of the railroad tracks.

“ People have no idea how large a market we’re talking about,” he said. “ There are so many channels I want to develop. Why would some one want to look out on a parking lot when they could look out on the mountains? Once one hotel does this, every hotel that’s on the ground floor will have to follow suit.”

That may seem like tall talk, but Brask, a tireless salesman, is noth ing if not a dreamer. He one day envisions advertising and sponsor ship opportunities in the

windows of office buildings in major cities and college campuses, as well as other technologies that can make the glass come to life.

For now, though, there’s the struggle to find exposure for the original WindowViews. And Brask is seeing some results of his streetbeating efforts. He’s taken his win dows on the road to more major trade shows, and some mentions in national media have driven traffic to his Website.

So far, Brask’s scenic window coverings have received mention on both CNN and HGTV (a home and garden cable network), as well as a brief write-up in the Washington Post. That exposure has driven traf fic to his Website, with March being the busiest Month yet for his elec tronic storefront.

Sales are inching up as well, with nearly a thousand sold in the first 12 months of availability. That’s not a bad start, but Brask has much big ger numbers in mind.

While happy to sell online to indi viduals, Brask is angling to have his products placed in mail-order cata logs, airline magazines and other mass-market places. He’s got the infrastructure in place, he says, to handle mass orders from his Billings Avenue warehouse.

Ironically, the warehouse space has no windows. But that doesn’t stop Brask from outlining what he believes will ultimately make him a fortune.

“ These window images really come to life with the light. It’s the light that brings them to life.”

John Harrington may be reached at 447-4080, or john.harrington(at)(at)helenair.com.

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