Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Interpreter-Kim.
Hi Maggie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I think it’s been about 8 years now. Give or take. Warning, this starts off on a sad note. But don’t worry, we get a happy ending!
8 years ago, I was living with my best friend, sister, mother, she was kind of everything. Her name was Nancy. She was 23 years older than me. Nancy moved in with me and helped me take care of my young daughter. I worked and paid most of the bills and she did everything else. We traveled together, went to comiccons, and had all kinds of good times. She was the best!
One night she said she wasn’t feeling well and went to the ER. She never came home. We lost her to a heart attack. Our lives went into a tailspin. It felt like we couldn’t do anything but tread water. My daughter was listening to a group I frankly didn’t get, but okay, cool. You do you Boo. Then I saw that her favorite group, BTS, was on tour. So I thought a road trip would do us some good. Little did I know my life was about to change. Drastically.
I had no idea what I was doing. We barely made it in time to buy a lightstick and get it synced. But we made it to our seats in plenty of time to chat with our neighbors. Immediately the crowd blew my mind. What is this? Singing in another language in the USA? What are these magical lights? I’m the one I should love? Who are these people? Needless to say, that was it for me. I went on a content binge, listening to nothing but BTS for a year. I watched nothing but BTS for a year. Then it happened. My YouTube playlist put on Oneus “LIT”. Then Ateez “Wonderland” and then more and more and more. I love it all. The parasocial relationships idols have with fans, the kpop family as a whole, accepting and loving. The costumes, the makeup, the culture, the music. It is so all encompassing as an art form. Just beautiful. It led me to a group of amazing friends that truly support my dream of having this store. I couldn’t do it without them. They complete my circle and make me smile everyday. It led me to quit my dreary job of tech sales. I was miserable. I quit and went to work in a Korean restaurant, hoping to learn more of the language and culture. And most importantly, I met my husband there. The best man I have ever known. A man that believes in me and us and what we can achieve together. I truly believe that BTS was sent to me when I needed them most. And they changed my life. Because of them, I started to love myself and learn about Korean music and culture. And because of them I met my husband, and the best friends anyone could ask for.My husband’s family helped us to open our store. We started with a small 400 square feet and 16 boxes. We are now in a 3000 square foot space and have built an amazing community here in our area. We hold events with local vendors and have even been able to host a few kpop artists for concerts and meet and greets as well. Our store now has a small cafe(Cafe Chapters) and we also make a lot of our own products too.I’m pretty sure an angel up there sent me down this path. One I never, ever thought I would be on. So thanks up there Nancy. You always did know what I needed.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We have had many ups and downs. We are only starting our 3rd year as a business. We still have a lot of loans and have not been able to catch up because of the tariffs and then the tariffs that are now called duties and fees. Every shipment from Korea is expensive and we do not want to have to price our goods so that they are unattainable. That has been our biggest issue to date. Along with the fact I have never owned my own business and make a mess out of paperwork. Thankfully, we have a great accountant, and are surrounded by people that just want to help. Moving was a lot of work. Luckily we had some regular customers that wanted to chip in and all our friends helped. We are still trying to make sure we can stay in business through the economic crisis in our country right now.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a store and a community. Ours is a safe space for everyone. We encourage not just shopping, but getting to know your neighbors and other locals that you have similar interests with. We want to feature vendors that make custom gifts and also showcase music from asian artists. Our space is known for being welcoming and warm. We also bring in official merchandise and music from Korea that is not easily found in the area. I am so happy that I was able to create an environment that is known to be a place that people can be themselves and not fear some of the bad that is in our world these days. They are free to be who they are meant to be and be loved for it.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I expect K-pop will keep growing in the U.S. I hope it will lead to more artists visiting to perform in our area. I believe we will see more Kpop in festivals and large events. I would also like to have my own festival locally and bring in a few groups and singers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kpopgateway.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kpopgateway/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialKpopGateway
- Twitter: https://x.com/kpop_gateway
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kpopgateway
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kpop-gateway-virginia-beach
