Kpop Kastle: K-pop store opens in Davie

By Danna Bertel •

With just over 1,000 square feet of space, Kpop Kastle has more than 5,000 items from different K-pop groups, including albums, posters, makeup and skincare, as well as fan-made items such as pins, clothing and keychains.

K-pop, short for South Korean pop music, includes bands like Blackpink, Monsta X and Twice. This new store is the only K-pop store in the South Florida area catering to K-pop fans.

The young entrepreneurs running Kpop Kastle are 18-year-old Megan Adal and 17-year-old Michelle Kanaz. Unlike other retail stores, the owners work with the community to host different events. Within just three months of opening, the store held its first meet-and-greet with K-pop group Lallipus on Feb. 25.

Being a K-pop fan for six years, Adal felt there was a lack of K-pop events and shops in the South Florida area. Kanaz shared the same sentiment, after moving into the area from Philadelphia.

“I just saw the demand for just K-pop events in general down here,” Adal said. “Talking to Michelle and having the idea for a few years, I brought it up to her and we just decided to kind of dive headfirst. We knew that it was something that needed to be down here.”

Kpop Kastle is all about catering to the demands and likes of their customers. The store sorts its albums based on what the customers purchase frequently, as well as having in stock items people wouldn’t find elsewhere.

“The first four shelves in the store are usually girl group albums. The fifth is usually BTS, and the other five are usually boy groups, just because that’s seeming to be what South Florida wants,” Kanaz said. “There’s some really small groups that we carry that I’ve never even heard other stores having, so I feel that also really differentiates us.”

Adal said that Kpop Kastle is always adding more groups to display.

“We usually take into consideration when other people ask us, for certain groups that we don’t have,” Addal said.

Both owners share that a sense of community and a tight bond with customers is what makes their store stand out. As a K-pop store managed by K-pop fans, their goal is to make Kpop Kastle a welcoming place for anyone that sets foot in the store.

“Our store is not just for K-pop fans in general. It’s for anyone that walks in. That’s why as owners, we’re very hands on and we’re always there as much as we can be. We’re usually at the front talking to customers,” Adal said. “We’ve also created so many bonds with customers, that now they’re actually our friends.”

As a K-pop fan, 19-year-old employee Kathy Juarez shared that Kpop Kastle has succeeded in growing a community.

“I think in a sense they grew a community because we do see a lot of regulars and a lot of people always coming back,” Juarez said.

Without experience in running a business, Adal uses the experience she gained from past jobs and observing the way others managed their own business. While still running Kpop Kastle, she hopes to study business law.

On the other hand, Kanaz has experience in selling K-pop products. Before Kpop Kastle, she used the name The Castle and sold custom-made pins and hoodies online. Now, Kanaz attends Florida International University as a finance major.

“I went to the Love Yourself tour for BTS and you see all the people selling things outside the concert. So, the next concert, me and my friend decided to sell keychains and pins,” she said. “It was an eye-opening experience.”

Kpop Kastle has teamed up with several organizations and venues, including Revolution Live, and Kanaz and Adal hope to have more partnerships in the future.

“We’re giving away tickets for the Epik High concert because they reached out to us and wanted to work together,” said Kanaz. “We have been open for three months, I can just imagine what we can do in three years. It’s just incredible to see, where we’ve gotten in such a short amount of time and the reactions of people.”