Fri 11/1 @ 5-10PM
It’s no surprise Prince said it best: “Pop life/Everybody needs a thrill.” For Shaker Heights native Joda Davis Mueller, that thrill is seeing brand-new arts collaborative Pop Life finally coming to fruition in the Waterloo Arts District.
The grand opening affair, which coincides with Walk all Over Waterloo, is scheduled for November 1. The fun includes a DJ, cocktails and mocktails, donation-based 20-minute yoga demos, sound bath sessions in a color-changing yoga studio and mindfulness meditation sessions.
In a nutshell, Pop Life, which is painted like a set piece from the Candy Land board game, is rooted in art, design and wellness. The venue features a gallery, yoga & wellness studio, and cafe.
CoolCleveland talked to Mueller about the unique venue’s mission.
Congratulations on the opening of Pop Life. The one question everyone is asking is, what took so long to open?
It’s been a journey just working things out with the city. That was the biggest hurdle with zoning and permitting. Then it was an extensive buildout with remediation work. It was very challenging, but I was always committed to finishing it.
Pop Life seems like a perfect fit on Waterloo. What brought you to the neighborhood?
I first was attracted to the neighborhood when I saw what Waterloo Arts had done with the Zoetic Walls mural program, because street art has been a really big inspiration for me. I thought was a great program. That was in line with what I thought would be great for this neighborhood. There was also the Beachland Ballroom, where I went to a lot. So I just saw a lot of potential for the Waterloo Arts District. I started looking at real estate opportunities and purchased his building around three years ago.
What’s your vision for Pop Life?
Part of our mission is making wellness accessible for people living in the immediate area. We really want to be community-based, so we’re looking forward to partnering with local people for lectures, workshops and events at the space.
Tell us about the Pop Life tagline “the art of wellness.”
I always knew it would be a multidisciplinary space, but with a focus on art and wellness. So upstairs we do yoga and then we’ll be rolling out wellness services like reiki and things like that. That’s more of the wellness area. There’s our partnership with Ritual Juicery, which does fresh, organic pressed juice, smoothies, bowls, snacks and superfood lattes. Tying in the art component, one of our yoga studios is a color therapy room, so we’ll be doing themed color classes. We look at the whole brand and concept as an experience. So people when they’re coming to yoga classes are having an artistic experience as well as when they attend an event downstairs or come in to get a juice.
Finally, how did you land on the Pop Life concept?
I lived in California for eight years, so it’s sort of an amalgamation. These are a lot of things I liked to do when I was living in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Now I’m trying to bring them all under one roof. I’ve really been intrigued and inspired some of these immersive art exhibits that are popping up. Traditional retail is going to continue to struggle, but people are still going to want to go out and have an experience. So we’ll have a mix of local and national artists. I call our aesthetic high-vibe design. It’s really just colorful, fun, futuristic and focusing in on these more immersive art experiences as opposed to art on a wall.
Cleveland, OH 44110
@poplifecle
One Response to “Pop Life Adds High-Vibe Design with a Hint of Wellness to Waterloo Arts District”
Cindy Williams
Can’t Wait to check this out!!!!