On Thursday, November 8, we officially celebrated the launch of our e-commerce site! We were thrilled to communicate with our clients in person and via live stream about what makes www.AKRIKKS.com unique: local delivery service, luxury boxes, a unique styling perspective with state of the art technology, virtual styling (coming 2019) and more.
When guests arrived, they checked their car with valet and were greeted with a giant laser projection mapping across the back wall of our warehouse space by LiveSpace (our official partners of the event). Check-in was fast and easy, and guests received a custom lanyard with their name, a checklist of items to do throughout the night, and an access code for 20% OFF on the website.
After check-in, guests poured into a game room flooded in pink light and featured both vintage video games and virtual reality technology. The vintage games were rented locally from 616 Amusements whose owners are brothers born, raised, and educated in the Midwest. They got into the arcade business 10+ years ago when they bought a broken down Super Mario game system and turned their hobby into a business, bringing fun and nostalgia to West Michigan. The virtual reality experience was provided by Interactive Entertainment Group, one of the leading providers of unique interactive games and products in the country. Guests entered the virtual reality pods, strapped on headgear, and were immersed in the digital world! They could choose from a variety of simulations- flying, roller coaster, dinosaur discovery, and more. Another feature of this space was the custom A.K. Rikk’s neon sign hand crafted by local professionally trained neon artist Michael LaCroix. LaCroix studied under Master Scientific Glass Blower, Wolfghang Eberhardt, in the late 80's and been in business since 1987. He has crafted some of Grand Rapids' most recognizable icons including The Weather Ball!
After the game room, guests entered an open dance, bar, and lounge space completely covered in ultraviolet light and projections of videos highlighting our style/model Andi Horn and
LiveSpace used a world-renown surround sound system to deliver crisp and clean audio, moving head fixtures, zoomable wash lights, and programmed effects to create a club-like experience. Our DJ’s were from AB and The Collective. Adrian “AB” Butler has become an ambassador for the city of Grand Rapids and is in high demand. The emcee has crafted a sound that delights hip-hop heads and party people alike. The DJ sets were a cool mix of timeless classics, underground bangers, and everyone’s favorite songs. Guests enjoyed passed Asian-inspired appetizers from Vault Catering to fit the Tokyo meets Silicon Valley vibes of the night. Our bartenders were some of the best Grand Rapids has to offer, hailing from Grove and other bars in the city.
Finally, guests were able to jump into the photo booth from Box 6.23. These photos could be made into gifs and instantly texted for sharing on social media sites with #AKLAUNCHPARTY.
We are grateful to have had some support in spreading our message to new friends outside of our community with some special guests from throughout the Midwest in attendance: Kate, Grace, Nancy, Kherington, Eugene, Kev, Sara, and Lora. These guests have a pulse on what is happening in fashion and social media, and we were thrilled to give them a tour of our store and e-commerce photo studio. These influencers also participated in a styling competition, and our model wore the winning look during the event! Grace talked more about here experience HERE.
It was an amazing night, and we are so thankful for those in attendance. If you weren't able to attend, we hope you followed along on social media and through the live stream. If you couldn't, click the links throughout this blog post to watch our videos and learn more about our partners! Additionally, watch the video below to see what goes into creating our amazing site. Finally, you're already here, so don’t forget to peruse new arrivals!