We had the good fortune of connecting with Alex Louie Sun Kim and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Alex Louie, if you had to put a million dollars to work immediately, how would you go about investing it?
If we had $1 million to invest, three needs come to mind: First, we’d put it toward building our team by hiring some full-time employees. It would greatly help us scale our capabilities, and it would help contribute to our local community. Second, we’d invest in developing new products to add to our existing offering. Additional capital would help with product R&D and economies of scale. Third, we’d put funds toward leasing and preparing physical space that could be used as a hybrid retail store and studio/warehouse space. Having a physical location would give our brand not only a point of sale but also a place to meet new and existing customers in person.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We created STORY SPARK as a brand made for those who love art, technology and pop culture. We want to be able to help others by designing items that express their passions in real life and spark a conversation among people. Each of our original graphic illustrations are unique in visual form and stem from concepts that blend technology themes with everyday activities and pop culture. Some may consider our items as “geek wear” or “nerd shirts” and we actually take that as a compliment – it’s good to be geeky for it shows a sense of personal passion. Our goal is to create designs that not only are unique but can possibly be informative, entertaining and most of all, spark a smile. Having both worked in the tech industry for some time, we began purely as an online brand. However as time went on it became increasingly apparent that we had to be hitting the road and meeting people face to face. What began as an exploratory phase of participating in a few craft fairs, soon became a driving factor that has pushed us into attending over 50 events per year. Though it has been a lot of hard work, we’ve been blessed with meeting many friends old and new along with garnering fans of the brand. This year marks the five-year anniversary of STORY SPARK. Like many entrepreneurial journeys, ours has definitely been full of twists and turns. Some days you feel exhausted and unsure why you began; then there are other days when you feel like you’re on top of the world with no doubts. It is something to be expected when you start your own business. Though after a while you start to become accustomed to the ebbs and flows, but you can never be comfortable with the anticipation of what may be around the corner. This is especially true with how 2020 has turned everything that we know upside-down. While still in the midst of a Covid-19 world, we along with numerous creatives and small business owners are unsure as to what lies ahead. What we can do is to remain vigilent in creating a course that will get us through this to the end. Please stay safe, be positive and never stop creating connections.
Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
We would start the day off with a strong hike with our dog up to Runyon Canyon and once up there enjoy the beautiful view of LA. Afterward, head to Grand Central Market in DTLA. It offers a variety of cuisines that we would have to introduce our friend to. One of our favorites is the delicious vegan ramen from Ramen Hood. Of course, if there is an artisan market happening in the lower level, like an Artists & Fleas, we would definitely visit to shop and support local artisans. Next, we’d check out the LA Phil, possibly Chinatown and even to the Hauser and Wirth. With all that walking we would probably end the day with a fun dinner at Eatalian where you can choose your own Italian desserts. And of course, all along the way, we’ll have plenty of chances to take those instagram pics!
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We’d like to give a shoutout to all our fellow makers and small business entrepreneurs who we’ve met and shared so many valuable stories with over the course of the STORY SPARK journey.
Website: storyspark.com
Instagram: instagram.com/storyspark
Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/story-spark
Twitter: twitter.com/storyspark
Facebook: facebook.com/storyspark
Youtube: youtube.com/c/Storysparked
Other: pinterest.com/storysparked