We had the good fortune of connecting with Crystal Borges and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Crystal, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
A K-pop concert is a lot different than other Western artist shows. One significant difference is the Freebies. Fans are handing out banners, slogans, keychains, bracelets, and photocards for free. This was something I instantly fell in love with and knew I wanted to be a part of. I was just a junior in High school when Mehana, a good friend and I, decided we wanted to give this whole K-pop freebies thing a go. Nothing too fancy, we ordered Walmart prints and handed them out at a few shows. I was in shock at just how happy people got from a single photo. I knew at that point this was something I wanted to continue.

From there we created our first fan project. NCT 127 an SM boy group, was touring and Atlanta was one of the stops. Our Goal was to raise a couple hundred dollars for banners and photocards to hand out. People would donate and receive custom merchandise based on their payment. We ended up reaching our goal way faster than expected and we’re even able to provide a flag to give to the artist. Which for us worked out well as one of the members Haechan, picked it up and held it up high at the end of the show.

Next thing you know a couple more concerts, adding a few team members, and a graphic design class later we decided we wanted to put a name and a logo to what we do. At first our goal short and simple was to hold K-pop themed events and fan projects. However, that shortly changed when the K-pop community here in Atlanta got a lot bigger. We then began prioritizing promoting other events and soon after concerts as well. Though we still hold our own events now and then, were happy were able to help others who have the same love for these projects as my team.

What should our readers know about your business?

Our main goal here at KpopxAtlanta is to gather K-pop fans in Georgia together. We focus on promoting fan-held events and concerts for Korean artists, almost like a hub for anything K-pop related here in Atlanta. When we get the chance we love to host giveaways, cafe events, and concert fan-projects ourselves. The Thing I am most proud of is how much we’ve grown. We went from two girls cutting out photos to getting to work promotions for the artist we admire. It wasn’t always easy, but that’s why we have a team. We can always depend on one another to be able to help do our part as KxA.

If there’s one piece of advice I’d offer it’s to take the leap. Sometimes things work out, other times you may miss completely and it will seem like the end of the world. This leap lasted longer than I thought it would, but it gave me oppertunities 17-year-old Crystal dreamed about. I’m so thankful I was able to take that leap and now I don’t need to do it alone.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If K-pop is the reason for visiting there are a few places that are an absolute must here. One, in particular, we would like to mention is KpopNation, a K-pop store in Duluth. They just opened a new store, and they are always holding amazing pop-up events with great deals. Of course, this is just one of many stores!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Besides my fantastic Team consisting of Mehana, Lauren, and Bri. I would have to give a massive shout to all the fellow Atlanta K-pop pages out there. We’ve met and worked with so many amazing people it that would feel weird shouting out just one. The event pages, dance teams, shops who come out to vendor, so much work is put in to do what they do. We are a community-based page, and there would be no community without them.

Website: https://kpopxatl.carrd.co/

Instagram: @Kpopxatlanta

Twitter: @Kpopxatlanta

Youtube: Inside Kpop

Other: @Kpopxatlanta Tiktok

Image Credits
All Taken by Team members of @Kpopxatlanta

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.