She’s short. She’s sweet. And she sold out five nights at Madison Square Garden last week.
She, of course, is multiple Grammy Award-winning artist Sabrina Carpenter, and from Oct. 26-29, superfans in New York City could line up for a chance to step inside the “Cash App Presents: Sabrina’s Secondhand in NYC” pop-up, a ’70s-inspired fan experience celebrating her Short n’ Sweet Tour and new album, “Man’s Best Friend.”
To bring Carpenter’s retro aesthetic to life, Cash App took over the atrium at Ideal Glass Studios in the heart of the West Village and New York University’s busy campus. The brand says that the Sabrina Carpenter fan base aligns well with Cash App’s audience of digitally native millennials and Gen Z consumers and allows it to engage with Carpenter’s fans in a meaningful way while showcasing the app’s features and benefits.
“Being Sabrina’s presale and tour partner meant one thing: putting fans first,” says Zack Ashley, head of brand partnerships at Cash App. “No exclusive cards, no barriers—just Cash App and the excitement to see her live. The pop-up took this same energy and made it physical, creating a space as vibrant and welcoming as Sabrina herself.”
The pop-up is an extension of Cash App’s partnership with Carpenter, which included tour presale access, Cash App Card designs inspired by the “Short n’ Sweet” and “Man’s Best Friend” eras, and a series of “Short n’ Sweet” coffee shop takeovers in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles in 2024. The Sabrina’s Secondhand pop-up was one of three pop-up experiences produced by Cash App, which align with her tour dates and include a stop in Nashville, Nov. 4-5, and one last stop in Los Angeles, Nov. 15-18.
The exterior of the New York City pop-up space was made to resemble a storefront with a “Sabrina’s Second Hand” logo above the door, a sandwich board on the sidewalk, and a large image of Carpenter and a puppy flanking one side (a reference to her new album), and a sign reading “Exclusive Merch Store” on the other.
Once attendees were escorted inside, they could shop and immerse themselves in a series of vintage tableaus and photo ops, all designed to get fans up close and personal with Carpenter’s signature, retro style. Cash App cardholders all received a 30-percent discount on merchandise, and those with a special pink Sabrina Cash App card could take home a free piece of clothing off a curated rack of second-hand items.
In addition to the more than seven racks filled with exclusive t-shirts, hoodies, hats and accessories available only inside the pop-up, attendees could pop into a photo booth for a Cash App-branded photo strip and GIF delivered via email, or stop by a row of custom embroidery stations to get hearts, lips or other Carpenter-inspired graphics embroidered on any merch purchased that day.
Attendees could also pose in one of several photo vignettes, including a baby blue shag carpet wall with the “Sabrina’s Second Hand” logo on it, a vintage bedroom vanity, a couch shaped like red lips, a retro photo booth and a neon sign that read “Please Please Please,” a reference to one of her songs.
To add authenticity to the experience, the brand filled shelves with artifacts and vintage decorative items that, according to one 13-year-old superfan, were “OMG, 100-percent Carpenter’s aesthetic,” and easter eggs referencing Carpenter’s videos and lyrics. Our personal favorite item: a pair of white heels in a vintage suitcase that had the words “Mother” and “F*cker” printed on the soles (IYKYK!).
The vintage apparel and props were raffled at the end of the event for one lucky Cash App cardholder.
Photo credit: Inkling for Cash App; Jessica Heasley
