While most convention-goers are familiar with vendor halls and celebrity photo ops, a Las Vegas-based company has carved out a different niche in the fan convention circuit. Cheri and Ed Mueller’s venture offers something less common: a physical space where attendees can actually make things inspired by their favorite shows.
Their operation, called The Roadhouse, functions as a pop-up creative studio at select Creation Entertainment conventions. Since launching in January 2023, the concept has proven surprisingly durable—the couple just wrapped their 50th convention at a Supernatural TV show event in Nashville this past December.
A Different Kind of Convention Experience
The model is straightforward: pay $25 for a single day or $50 for three days, and attendees get unlimited access to a suite of creative activities. That includes green screen photo sessions with props, canvas painting stations with themed stencils, jewelry making, temporary airbrush tattoos, and various craft projects tied to whatever show the convention celebrates.
The themed activity rooms represent a bet that convention attendees want more than just consumption—they want to participate. It’s a shift from the typical convention economy of purchasing merchandise and autographs to actually creating personalized items on-site.
Beyond Supernatural
While The Roadhouse name nods to the Supernatural series (a reference fans of the show would recognize), the Muellers have adapted their concept across multiple fandoms. Their parent company, ArtParty4U, has been running since 2012, and they’ve now produced fan convention activities for Vampire Diaries, Star Trek, and even Little House on the Prairie conventions.
The couple also offers ticketed evening events that go deeper into specific crafts. Ed Mueller is a certified Bob Ross instructor, which allows them to run legitimate oil painting classes using the late TV painter’s technique. They’ve also developed game show nights with trivia formats adapted to whatever series the convention celebrates.
Expanding the Template
The Muellers plan to stretch beyond entertainment fandoms in 2026. They’re developing themed rooms for first responder conventions and Broadway musical events—both communities with dedicated followings and appetite for themed experiences.
It’s an interesting test of whether their model can translate outside the sci-fi and fantasy convention world. First responders and theater fans represent different demographics with different expectations, but both groups share the intense loyalty and identity that characterize fandom culture.
Whether creating jewelry inspired by a starship or painting scenes from a favorite musical, the creative convention spaces suggest there’s room in fan culture for something between passive spectating and expensive VIP experiences. Sometimes people just want to make something with their hands while surrounded by others who get why it matters.
