The finished Smashing Pumpkins Merch Vault at the future Double Door site · Chicago, December 1, 2018. Delivered for Warner Music Group.

The Smashing Pumpkins Former Wilson Avenue Theater · Chicago, IL

Make the merchandise a destination.

A one-day Chicago destination turned The Smashing Pumpkins’ merchandise into a place fans could explore. Framed apparel, collection displays and a lounge brought the band’s visual world into the former Wilson Avenue Theater, announced as Double Door’s future home.

The opportunity

The brief.

Give a limited-run merchandise event the character of an artist experience, with a retail environment that rewarded the trip and worked within an existing space.

POPUP’s role

The work behind the experience.

For Warner Music Group, POPUP coordinated the temporary merchandise environment and event operations, connecting product presentation, printed graphics, furnishings, lighting and on-site logistics.

Temporary retail environment
Merchandise presentation
Signage & printed graphics
Lighting & furnishings
Event operations & logistics

The Smashing Pumpkins Merch Vault at the future Double Door site · delivered for Warner Music Group.

Inside the experience

Put the collection on display.

Apparel was framed against the wood-paneled walls, while tables brought smaller items and graphic textiles into the room. The presentation made the merchandise part of the visual experience, with different scales of discovery across the space.

The completed merchandise room, photographed before opening on December 1, 2018.

Let the room tell part of the story.

The barred counter gave the vault name a physical expression. Smashing Pumpkins signage and displayed apparel connected that distinctive architectural feature with the event, without obscuring the character of the location.