In the nineties, the Stardust Rollerskating Rink was the place to be in Greater Vancouver. Fast forward to the present day, and Guildford Town Centre (GTC) had secured the rights to bring the Stardust brand back to its heyday. Monday’s job? Create a pop-up activation that was compelling to diehard fans and a new generation—drawing a range of demographics into the mall.

When the doors closed on the last day, the installation had drawn 15,000 participants and more than 10,000 spectators. Skate rental proceeds also helped GTC raise $45,000 for charity—plus, the skates and protective gear were donated to Rolla Skate Club’s Community Youth Outreach Program.

To start, we rebooted the name to Skate Stardust—a subtle tweak that made the experience crystal clear to first-timers and served as a valuable SEO keyword. Turning a vacant storefront into a roller rink is no small feat. From lacing up to rolling out, we analyzed how people would flow through the activation. Our design team crafted an identity that modernized the OG brand and applied it throughout—making the resulting space cohesive and functional.

The activation’s media plan went out across Metro Vancouver. Paging through our internal nineties dictionary, we shaped copy taglines around the era’s slang. That memorable language sparked nostalgia everywhere it showed up, from parking lot banners to transit posters, social media and radio ads—and of course, some good old-fashioned swag.