Last week when I was walking home from Gene’s Sausage Shop and Delicatessen, I noticed lingering in front of store windows on my path. The front case at Book Cellars featured hardcover editions displayed with cards declaring Man Booker Prize Winner or Staff Pick 2014. In the front window of Merz Apothecary was a collection of oddly shaped bottles, mostly skin lotions or home remedies that were popular in Europe. A colorful poster was taped to the glass door of another store. It said:

German-American Fest, September 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th. Lincoln and Leland. Music. Food. Beer.

Well, I guess it pays to advertise.

I realized how much I liked to notice information about a product or entertainment option within the natural course of walking around my neighborhood.

I get sort of freaked out when I see advertisements online for products or services I Googled recently. The other day, I checked out prices for some exercise equipment and, sure enough, today related links filled my screen. It’s like being stalked.

When I walk by a window display, I may be prompted to make a spur of the moment purchase or make a special note in my mind that something is available that I might have been unaware existed. I love coming across Opening Soon signs. Knowing that whatever is coming soon will be in close proximity to where I live thrills me.

When I was walking down Lincoln Avenue the other day, I stopped in front of the Daily Bar & Grill for several minutes. I saw posters for special promotions they were having, nights where they played trivia games or featured drink specials. I also saw posters for theatrical productions running currently at black box theaters nearby. I saw silkscreened posters for bands playing at Martyrs and other clubs down the street. I admired the artwork.

It makes sense, doesn’t it? The full window of posters at The Daily Bar & Grill comes down to advertising places for drinking and music where people who like drinking and music hang out.

Maybe signs and merchandising displays and posters are not very sophisticated ways of reaching people. Directing a message to street traffic involves smaller numbers than other forms of advertising. Yet, it works for me, and I’m happy when I’m not a number, when I can see that businesses still communicate with consumers this way.

Reading a poster feels like a discovery, and following up on discovery feels like making a choice.

As I scanned the patchwork of posters in the window of The Daily, I thought about my calendar. I asked myself when was I free. I thought about what things I didn’t want to miss. I saw there was a Neil LaBute play at Profiles Theatre and considered that the big tent at the German-American Festival is always fun for a few hours.

Being given all the information you need to decide that you want to try something, without strings or obligations, is no small thing.