In 1999, Tom Thewes, ©POP Owner and CEO, fiercely believed in the fundamentally powerful relevance of the group of artists who used the visual vocabulary of popular culture (cartoons, rock posters, advertising, and graffiti) to communicate and express themselves in a way that broke through the worn ivory tower elitism of the then pervasive over-intellectualized art institutions. He then began to implement his grand vision for ©POP as the leading proponent of these brave underground art rebels by renovating a three story, former trophy shop, bar, Post Office, and den of iniquity in Detroit's Midtown Cultural Center into a world-class exhibition space and multi-discipline focal point for this pop-culture revolution. The newly improved cultural showcase opened to much fanfare and excited expectation with a "Grand Re-Opening" exhibition entitled, "© Stands For..." which included all of the ©POP regulars plus names like Mark Ryden, H.R. Giger, Robert Williams, Eric White, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, Isabel Samaras, and many more.

An urban pioneer during a time when Detroit remained a post-industrial wasteland and the last great American city to experience its renaissance, the gallery cemented the foundation for a cultural domino effect which developed an impressive "gallery row" on the south end of the Detroit’s Cultural Center that still continues to grow with more galleries and cultural venues every year.