LiveLaunch, a retail destination for direct-to-consumer and online-only brands, today announced the opening of its flagship space in Chicago’s Fulton Market district. The 7,136-square-foot space houses 11 modular storefronts, giving digital-native brands the opportunity to meet customers in-person without the typical constraints of inventory management, build-out costs, or long-term leases.
Founded by Chicagoland native AJ Weinberg, who spent more than a decade in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries, LiveLaunch was born from an understanding of what it actually takes to bring a brand to life, IRL. The concept is straightforward: LiveLaunch provides the space, the staff, the marketing, and technology, so brands can focus on what they do best.
“There are so many incredible brands out there that people have never had the chance to hold, try on, or discover in-person due to the high costs of traditional retail,” said AJ Weinberg, Founder of LiveLaunch. “Just as today’s consumers have evolved, we want to help brands learn and grow alongside them, removing the tough choice between staying invisible online or signing an expensive lease they can’t afford. Now, with LiveLaunch, there’s a much-needed connection between digital and physical storefronts.”
Weinberg designed LiveLaunch to strengthen — not replace — each brand’s direct relationship with its customers. Visitors to any of the storefronts, which range from 200 to 300 square feet, can scan a QR code that routes them directly to the brand’s own website to complete a purchase. There’s no point-of-sale system, backstock inventory, or build-out budget required. For brands accustomed to testing new channels through digital spend, LiveLaunch offers the equivalent of a paid social campaign: a low-risk, high impact way to drive discovery and deepen customer relationships.
LiveLaunch’s founding tenants include an immersive experience from the WNBA’s Chicago Sky; apparel from Chicago-based streetwear and lifestyle brand Sound Off; fitness tech company Surreal Cycling; high-end handbag and accessory makers Lux & Nyx; clothing from Project Runway alum Michael Drummond; award-winning jewelry and accessories from designer Rob Bacon; luxury accessories from designer Theresa Wang-Sennechalle’s Beltshazzar; and clothing from Chicago-based fashion label and brand incubator INSPR.
The space is also home to Loop Coffee, the debut collaboration between Reprise Coffee Roasters, headquartered in nearby Evanston, Illinois, and Theory Coffee Roasters, the award-winning, veteran-owned roasters based in Redding, California, that were named to Food & Wine Magazine’s 100 Best Coffee Shops in America in 2025.
Located at 810 W Washington Blvd., one block from Randolph Street’s Restaurant Row, LiveLaunch sits at the center of a corridor that draws an estimated five million visitors annually. The neighborhood’s concentration of restaurants, bars, and hotels positions LiveLaunch to capture lunchtime, coffee, and pre-dinner foot traffic throughout the week — alongside more than 18,000 households located within a 10-minute walk of the space
For more information on the future of retail, visit livelaunch.io.
About LiveLaunch
LiveLaunch is a purpose-built retail destination for direct-to-consumer and online-only brands seeking a physical presence without the risk and overhead of a traditional commercial lease. Located at 810 W. Washington Blvd. in Chicago’s Fulton Market neighborhood, the 11-pod space offers modular storefronts ranging from 200 to 300 square feet. All purchases are completed digitally through each brand’s own website, bolstering awareness and strengthening direct customer relationships. LiveLaunch provides fixtures. staffing display technology in a space anchored by Loop Coffee, a collaboration between Reprise Coffee Roasters and Theory Coffee Roasters. For more information, visit livelaunch.io.
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