2025–2026
Salt & Straw x Matchbox:
A New Model for Brand-Led Community
A scalable community partnership turning Salt & Straw shops into platonic friend-matching events—piloted in NYC, then proven across markets.
Role: Partnership lead, event producer, and marketing strategist
Partnership Development & Structure
Identified, sourced, and negotiated a first-of-its-kind partnership with Matchbox, a values-based matchmaking service powered by a Stanford-developed compatibility algorithm. Built the full partnership structure end-to-end —establishing deliverables, developing a new platonic friend-matching event format designed specifically for Salt & Straw shops, and creating a replicable operations playbook for scaling across locations.
Event Production & Operations
Produced the NYC pilot at Salt & Straw Hudson, coordinating all logistics, staffing, run of show, and on-the-ground execution. Following strong results, expanded simultaneously to Seattle and Seattle—two markets with no existing Matchbox following—to prove the format could travel beyond its home turf. Managed cross-functional coordination between the Matchbox team and Salt & Straw operators across all three locations.
Marketing & Brand Storytelling
Developed and executed the full marketing plan across all three events: channel strategy, content, copy, and Partiful event management. Defined the external voice and narrative around the partnership, positioning the events as an extension of Salt & Straw's belief that scoop shops should be genuine community gathering places.
Across three events in three cities, 278 people showed up on the slowest night of the week (with 41% of attendees visiting Salt & Straw for the first time).
In-store traffic ran 2.2x above average during event hours.
96% of guests said they'd attend another event.
The format is now an experience-in-a-box able to deploy across Salt & Straw's 50+ shop fleet nationwide.
west village flyering campaign
digital flyer
experience example
participants filling shop + street corner