"Instead of being on racks and shelves, products and services normally unavailable will be on display and accessible virtually," says McCudden. "We created Metropolis to be a new hybrid 'click and mortar' virtual business center to provide a new marketing channel for manufacturers."

McCudden says marketers and manufacturers will be able to show shoppers "what it is like to experience their products or services" and at the same time, make a sale or get their instantaneous feedback. McCudden adds that the 'wow-factor' of HD film, digital sound and web-based technology will make the experience unique, fun and informational such that consumers willingly will immerse themselves "in the most exciting, technologically advanced shopping and entertainment experience available today."

Moreover, says McCudden, manufacturers and retailers are keen on the idea. "We have manufacturers that are interested in using our centers to efficiently expand their sales channels, and others who see it as a unique way to brand their products and services while using it for real-time product research," he says.

Following the first store launch and what McCudden calls a "prototype testing," Argo will begin expanding across the US in other upscale malls in major markets. While he does not want to reveal locations at this time, McCudden says that a number of other Mall owners are proposing locations where the demographic profiles for Metropolis portend the greatest success--which is to say, high-end malls in major markets."Our goal is to make these facilities a normal part of the Mall experience," says McCudden. "They will become a destination within the destination."