Camp makes its Midwest store debut, features unique immersive installation
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Camp kicked off the opening its ninth location in Chicago by partnering with multimedia company Doodles on an immersive experience. -
Camp kicked off the opening its ninth location in Chicago by partnering with multimedia company Doodles on an immersive experience.
Camp opened the doors to its first Midwest location in a bold way.
The family-friendly experiential retailer’s ninth location opened on July 19 in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. The 7,500-sq.-ft. store is described as part toy store, part party venue and part immersive theater space, according to a company statement shared with Chain Store Age.
To introduce the new location, Camp partnered with multimedia brand Doodles to create the location's first immersive activation. The ticketed experience features an interactive adventure that revolves around a selection of Doodles’ signature generative non-fungible tokens (NFTs), or digital artwork created via autonomous systems, such as artificial intelligence (AI).
The experience begins as customers pass through the store’s rotating “magical bookshelf” and into a colorful 3,500-sq.-ft. room. Once inside, customers can crawl through tunnels, ride down slides and walk through glowing rainbows, clouds, caves and more.
Twelve-foot daisies welcome consumers to the art studios where they can create “Doodle” characters and explore clothing designs. The room also features interactive noisemakers and alien-inspired arcade games. The Doodles installation also features nighttime events for adults.
Camp also sells co-branded apparel and accessories in its retail space, called “The Canteen.” In addition to selling toys, clothing and accessories, this 2,000 sq.ft. space also features a slime creation station, a Splatter Room for paint-based arts and crafts, a “CAMPitheater” performance space for live events) and party rooms.
“The colorful, playful and visual world of Doodles fits perfectly at Camp. It’s been amazing collaborating with their team on this new immersive experience that lets people interact with Doodles in real life,” said Ben Kaufman, co-founder of Camp. “I can’t wait to see Chicago families building memories together at this massive experience within Camp’s newest location.”
Camp, which launched its first store in 2018, operates nine retail locations across Georgia, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Texas and Chicago, as well as a website.