Container Collective Social to bring national bands, unique music venue to Carpentersville

A new entertainment venue hopes to make a big splash in the Chicago area entertainment scene as it opens for its first full season in Carpentersville next spring.

Container Collective Social is an outdoor live music venue and community gathering space that held a soft opening in September.

Several local and regional bands played at the venue, which is temporarily located in the parking lot of the Spring Hill Mall. What makes Container Collective Social so unique is that the perimeter is surrounded by shipping containers that are cut out to provide tables and chairs.

Corey Kelly, owner of Container Collective Social, said he’s looking forward to opening for a full season with nationally known bands in a new location that will have both indoor and outdoor spaces. Kelly is still working on a new, permanent location, but hasn’t announced it yet.

“What we’re looking to do is be a music venue, but also have food trucks, bags and other things people can do outside,” he said. “We’re also a place to eat and hang out on a nice summer night. We’re going to do brunches and bring breakfast food trucks on weekends, to give people [something] to do outside.”

Kelly wanted to open for a few weekends this fall in the mall lot to take Container Collective Social “on a test drive” and to gather community feedback. Ten bands performed at the venue’s full production stage, and Kelly also had a magic show and movie nights for families.

“It brought so much happiness to so many people,” Kelly said. “People said they loved how they were treated, they liked it was inviting, they liked the level of talent we brought out. We had really great bands. Overall, people felt very comfortable. It was just a community place, had that vibe about it. It was really awesome.”

The idea to use cut-out shipping containers came from Kelly’s other line of work, which is construction. He said it was important to him to build a space that is “sustainable” and “comfortable.”

“I wanted to reuse things instead of them going into a landfill,” he said of the venue’s unique design. “The whole space is modular. It can be anywhere from 40,000 to 60,000 square feet, and I can move anything by using a crane. We can accommodate larger bands, and next year, we’ll have a band shell in our new location.”

Kelly’s main focus right now is lining up a fun-filled calendar for next summer when Container Collective Social opens for the season. He said there is a demand for that type of venue in the area, and he’s looking forward to providing an atmosphere that brings people together.

“When you’re at a concert and music is playing, people are happy,” he said. “I’m tired of hearing so much about everyone being against each other, and I wanted to do something that’s unifying for the community.”

When Container Collective Social opens next season, food trucks will be on site, and alcohol will be available for purchase.

For more information and to keep up-to-date on Container Collective Social’s schedule and grand opening next spring, visit the Facebook page or the website, Containercollective.social.

“I want [Container Collective Social] to feel like a local community event, with entertainment and food,” Kelly said. “I want people to get that community festival feeling on a regular basis. We’re looking at a place where people come and hang out two or three times a week.”