A new immersive story & fan experience annually
Each year, I’ve treated the Dreamville Pop Up Shop as a platform, not a one-off, building a core environment kit that stays consistent because it is cost-effective, clean, and brand-repeatable. The foundation is a modular retail system of smooth white painted plinths and fixtures that merchandises product with a gallery-grade clarity, paired with adaptable wall moments and graphics that can shift with the annual theme. That repeatable build core made it possible to scale quickly, control budgets, and maintain a polished standard year over year, while still giving us freedom to refresh the story.
I worked closely with graphic designers to translate the theme each year into a cohesive graphic package, including vinyl wraps for the front entry and back-of-house moments that extended the world from street to store. The result was a durable, modular retail framework built to evolve, enabling each new chapter to feel distinct while still unmistakably Dreamville.
the Pop-Up SHOP Creative Platform
I structured creative for a repeatable, annual pop-up retail experience that extends Dreamville Festival energy into downtown Raleigh NC, drives city engagement, and scales revenue through exclusive product, programming, and premium in-person moments, while staying within budget and delivering on tight festival timelines.
CREATIVE PLATFORM
A NEW WORLD EVERY YEAR
Each pop-up is a seasonal chapter of Dreamville, with an annual theme fans anticipate, exclusive product that sells out, and programming that turns retail into a cultural moment.
APPROACH
I co-developed the platform with Dreamville Co-Founder Adam Roy, then translated it into a scalable system that could be rebuilt and refreshed annually. Each year I set the theme and collection brief, built the creative and operational blueprint, and led design and production for an exclusive capsule sold only during festival weekend. I partnered cross-functionally to secure approvals, mentored designers, and aligned programming with DJs and artist drop-ins to drive foot traffic and deepen city connection. The shopper journey was engineered from entry to POS through layout, product flow, signage, and visual merchandising, designed to perform against clear KPIs, demand intensity, sales velocity, and sell-through. When demand exceeded capacity, I implemented QR-based ship-to-home throughout the space as an overflow conversion path that protected the in-store experience while capturing additional revenue.
DELIVERY & IMPACT
With Dreamville Festival drawing over 100,000 fans, the pop-up consistently converted a meaningful share of that audience, at least 5 percent, into an exclusive, three-day pre-festival experience in downtown Raleigh. On the ground, I led end-to-end execution including buildout direction, visual merchandising, and real-time operational adjustments. The result was lines around the corner with hour-long waits, six-figure sales driven by limited merchandise available only during festival weekend, consistent sell-outs, and year-over-year revenue growth across five years. The pop-up became a signature brand activation that extended Dreamville Festival into the city and supported the broader economic impact of the festival reported at $145.9M.
FROM SKETCH TO BUILD: CREATING A CUSTOM Retail Environment
We took a 10,000 sq ft abandoned warehouse shell and built a full store footprint inside of it, framing and installing new walls to create a true retail environment within raw square footage. I led the plan, render-to-build translation, and on-site layout decisions that defined departments, sightlines, and circulation for speed, clarity, and scale. It was an ambitious build with real challenges that come with converting a dormant space, but we chose it intentionally for its prime downtown Raleigh location near the Dreamville pre-festival block party and its capacity to deliver the square footage the moment demanded.
3D Spatial Strategy & Value Engineering
I partnered closely with our 3D designer and team to translate the pop-up from concept to a buildable, high-performing retail environment. Together, we modeled the full walkthrough, pressure-testing sightlines, queue and circulation, department zoning, and key brand moments from entry through POS. We explored multiple material and color directions early, including a fully green world and a darker black environment, then I made the call to anchor the build in a clean white system as a strategic value-engineering decision. With significant fabrication requirements across the store, white allowed us to achieve a polished, gallery-grade finish using cost-effective, repeatable materials, while keeping budget available for the other high-impact build elements. The result was a scalable environment framework that supported merchandising clarity, brand consistency, and efficient production without compromising the experience.
neighborhood landmark: exterior brand system
I led the exterior creative direction to turn the warehouse into a recognizable neighborhood landmark and an extension of the Dreamville community. We built a cohesive storefront system that carried the brand from street to threshold, including branded awnings, a large-scale logo wrap across the façade, and mesh screen vinyl graphics on the entry doors to create depth, privacy, and a clear moment of arrival. Every element was designed for immediate wayfinding, strong curb appeal, and a warm, local presence that invited people in and made the pop-up feel like it belonged to the block, not just the weekend.
Interior world build: store system coming to life
This interior walkthrough captures the moment the environment shifted from construction to experience. We installed the custom-built retail architecture, engineered wood structures finished in a smooth white to create a clean, gallery-grade backdrop for product, then leveled uneven floor conditions to successfully lay carpet and define the footprint. As the visual merchandising came online, we integrated a projector looping artist music videos to add motion, sound, and cultural context, turning the space into a living extension of the Dreamville world. The Dreamville mark was positioned as a clear hero moment above POS to anchor wayfinding, reinforce brand presence at the point of conversion, and unify the build, content, and commerce into one cohesive system.
the textile & sound pop up shop experience
I pitched and secured a Dreamville x BYBORRE collaboration by presenting a clear creative thesis: translate BYBORRE’s Amsterdam textile lab and knit engineering into a Dreamville campaign and pop-up world where fans could physically enter the intersection of textile innovation and sound culture. The goal was to build a premium, story-led retail moment that deepened brand equity, introduced BYBORRE’s craft to the Dreamville community, and drove conversion through a limited capsule and experience-led programming.
CREATIVE PLATFORM
TEXTILE AND SOUND
A tactile, cozy environment where knit engineering meets music culture, inviting fans into the craft behind the product through materiality, programming, and atmosphere.
APPROACH
I initiated and pitched the BYBORRE team on the collaboration, then nurtured the relationship from first conversations through launch to align two brands grounded in craft. I led creative direction end to end across the collaboration, the editorial campaign, and the pop-up as its physical extension, shaping the experience system from concept through execution. The store was a custom-built interior anchored by a repeatable, cost-effective pop-up framework, smooth white painted display architecture for a gallery-grade product read, and warm birch plywood millwork to add tactility and intimacy. I partnered closely with builders, fabricators, and carpenters on site, while owning product storytelling, graphics, visual merchandising, lighting, and guest flow. Programming was designed as part of the concept, with DJs and artist appearances setting the pace of the room, alongside vintage vinyl and Dreamville artist records merchandised as collectible cultural artifacts.
DELIVERY & IMPACT
Fans experienced a high-touch, high-conversion retail moment that felt personal, informed, and communal, with the BYBORRE founder present to introduce the capsule and walk fans through the intricacy of the knitwear. The final environment layered candles, incense, and sound to create a warm atmosphere while maintaining a polished retail system built to perform.
reversible environment
For the 2022 Dreamville Pop Up Shop, our second year in this space, I led creative direction on evolving the environment into a fuller product and experience ecosystem. Visually, I directed the store palette around the collection’s sunrise and sunset inspiration, using bold pinks and oranges as the hero against a stark black-and-white foundation. The backdrop was executed as removable wallpaper to meet venue restrictions, ensuring every design decision was reversible and compliant while still delivering a high-impact environment.
sunrise concept & graphic decisions
The result was a cohesive, photo-forward world where color, product, and sound worked together to create an immersive chapter of Dreamville fans could step into. My initial rendering of the backdrop features a cloud Dreamville logo from the collection, which we moved away from because it was not as legible, and we went with a bolder logo that would photograph well and offer a deeper contrast.
DREAMVILLE & JOSHUA VIDES MATTE BLACK POP UP coffee SHOP
I pitched artist Joshua Vides ownder of Matte Black Cafe and co-founder Andy Nyguen on a limited edition Matte Black x Dreamville capsule and pop-up experience that translated Joshua Vides’ black and white language into Dreamville’s world, leveraging Dreamville’s core signature palette, black and white, to deliver a culturally resonant retail moment that performs across product, environment, and content under COVID-era constraints.
CREATIVE PLATFORM
BLACK AND WHITE AS A SHARED SIGNATURE
I originated and led this collaboration after identifying early alignment between Joshua Vides’ graphic universe and Dreamville’s core brand language. With both brands rooted in black and white, the creative opportunity was to make the collaboration feel inevitable: bold contrast, hand-drawn cues, and a world that looked and felt like you stepped inside the art.
APPROACH
I led a cohesive visual system across merchandise and environment, then design the guest journey around clear KPIs for safety, throughout, and immersion. I authored the creative brief, partnered directly with Joshua on visual language, and adapted his thought bubble and graffiti elements for Dreamville, including a refined take on the Classic logo. I led placement across product and environmental signage, routed art for stakeholder approvals, and managed production vendors on compressed timelines. In parallel, I led design on wayfinding and floor graphics that guided compliant flow and distancing without sacrificing the story. I partnered with Andy Nguyen to create custom, branded drinks to increase dwell time and deepen the link between product, food, and environment.
DELIVERY & IMPACT
I led the on-site rollout, visual merchandising, and asset capture so the pop-up delivered across the full system: a cohesive in-space experience, strong retail performance, and content output for social and ongoing commerce.
