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Replay in Lincoln Park serves as a canvas for artists creating pop-ups

Replay in Lincoln Park serves as a canvas for artists creating pop-ups
Replay in Lincoln Park serves as a canvas for artists creating pop-ups 02:52

CHICAGO (CBS)-- If you are still in the St. Patrick's spirit, you may want to check out Replay in Lincoln Park.

Paddy's Pub Pop Up, which brings a little bit of the show. With new see pop ups nearly monthly it's more than just a neighborhood bar. They've actually become known as a haven for local artists. 

CBS 2's Jamaica stopped by to see how they build their team and their seasonal pop ups.

Tom Molloy, a resident artist at Replay, is one of a team of over a dozen artists and crafts people who work to create the immersive pop-up worlds inside of the bar.

"Paddy's Pub felt the most like what St Patrick's Day in America is like, which is just a big festival of drinking and like so doing," Molloy said. "Paddy's Pub, again, kind of just goes along with all the debauchery of it and it's a fun, easy build."

The team at Replay completes the builds in about a week, pulling in local artists from across the city to help bring these scenes to life.

"But there's so many people on our team that are so good at what they do," Molloy said. "Every aspect of this bar was worked on by an individual working artists."

They use recycled materials and repurpose props for each theme, aiming to be sustainable and stay within budget.

"So, it's the art of recycling, the art of crafting things together, we use everything from cardboard and tape to like foam to, you know, drywall," Molloy said.

Jeremy Steffen is the codirector of the art department, as well as their weekend bartender. 

"I like to give artists a chance to try new things, build things and if somebody wants to try something new, we encourage it," Steffen said. 

At Replay, every pop-up brings on new challenges, which these artists see as opportunities to be creative. 

"I really get to express myself here all the time through all the different projects we do," Molloy said. 

It's a unique opportunity in the hospitality world, Steffen says they've purposely created space for artists to collaborate and innovate, using the bar as their canvas.

"And there's not a lot of places like that and there's not a lot of opportunity like this in the city," Steffen said. "When you come here, you're not only supporting the bar, you're supporting the art community. And it's important to me."

Replay Lincoln Park will have their Paddy's Pub Pop-Up through the end of the month, with a new theme coming later this spring. 

You can visit replay at the Lincoln Park location or at one of their other spots around the city.

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