Coworking with Tammy Callahan

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Tammy Callahan is senior retail business development manager at The Look Company, which has created retail designs and displays for clients like Walmart, Under Armour, and Esteé Lauder.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? When you’re walking past a store and something makes you stop—whether that be a giant window display, signage, or overhead lights that cast a warm glow on the products—that’s the kind of experience I help create. I work with major global retailers to design spaces that make the in-person shopping experience feel personalized, energizing, and unique from the very first moment a shopper sees the store. From the visuals that draw you in to the details that shape how the space feels once you’re inside, my role is all about helping retail teams turn physical environments into memorable brand experiences.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? Many retailers come to us for signage and think that all they have to do is pick a giant display, put a model on it, and add bold text. But there’s a lot more strategy behind every sign, display and visual moment than people realize. A big part of my job is helping brands first understand the bigger picture—how these visual elements shape the way customers feel and move through a space. Once that foundation is in place, then we can have a much more meaningful conversation about how signage supports everything from storytelling and wayfinding to sales goals and seasonal shifts.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? We recently worked with Lululemon to engineer and install display cases and light fixtures for over 40 of their North American store locations. This included custom curved lighting systems that introduced softer shapes to the interiors and created a more serene, calming shopping experience. By using these types of unique and free-flowing elements, we were able to update their in-store designs and introduce a modern aesthetic across the country.

Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about right now, and why? The focus on personalized experiences, which we identified in our recent 2026 In-Store Retail Design Trends Report at The Look Company, highlights the retail industry’s pivot towards creating an in-store shopping experience that’s distinct from online purchasing. I’m very excited by this because many shoppers have online fatigue and we’re at a pivotal moment to show that brick-and-mortar stores also hold a unique and distinct place in the retail economy.

What’s your go-to coffee order? Definitely a caramel macchiato!

Worst piece of advice you’ve received? I would say it was someone telling me, “Good things come to those who wait.”

What was your favorite retail product when you were 15, and what’s your favorite retail product now? It was shoes then, and it’s definitely still shoes now (but I’d add a purse to go with it).