MACON, Ga. — In Ingleside Village, K-Pop fans have a place to gather and share their love of their favorite artists. Macon K-Pop is a store where you can find anything you need if you are a fan of Korean pop.
17-year-old owner Chase Kiernan said when their other friends were considering future careers, they realized they weren't sure what they wanted to do. But they knew they loved K-Pop.
"I worked at the toy store down the street and that really inspired me and I got a more insightful look at a small business," Kiernan said.
They said they first heard of K-Pop in 2017, and their love grew stronger in 2020. They started getting involved in the fandom side of things in 2021 and the rest is history.
"I like the fact that the music is very universal and that's a lot of time what the groups strive for: a love of music or a positive message throughout the whole world," Keirnan said.
The store held its grand opening in 2023. The store doesn't only sell albums, fans can also get lightstick holders, fan-made stickers, photocard binders and holders, notebooks, magazines and more.
"I know that there is a community here in Georgia from the boba store we have. K-Pop music plays there and I knew there was definitely people here but not a lot of us have a place where we can go and actually have a community or do events that relate to things we're into," they said.
Kiernan says many K-pop fans trade photocards of idols and the store holds a photocard trading event twice a month.
"Most of the time we have a good bit of regulars that will come in almost weekly for new products or just to come and chit chat and hang out which I love, just being able to talk to people," they said.
For them, the store is about giving people in Central Georgia a place to come and share with others. Keirnan says while many songs are in Korean, some artists also release songs or entire albums in English.
They say no matter that language, the music still has a way of making an impact.
"A lot of people will say things like why would you listen to something you can't understand but it's more of the sound is really good and you can still hear a lot of the emotions sometimes in their vocals which is so important to me and I love that about music in general," they said.
Kiernan says if you're ever curious about the culture of K-Pop or don't know what groups to listen to then Macon K-Pop is a great place to start
"I can explain some more things about aspects of K-pop and the community and honestly just socializing with anyone is really what I want to do. Just have a safe place where you can come and talk about whatever," they said.
You can visit Macon K-pop on Wednesdays through Saturday from noon until 6 p.m. and on Sundays from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.
You can follow Macon K-Pop on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook or visit their website.
Keirnan also told 13WMAZ about some popular K-Pop fandom phrases you might want to know.
Bias:
A bias is your favorite member of a K-Pop group because you are literally biased toward them. Keirnan's biases are The8 from SEVENTEEN and the entire group SHINee.
Random Dance:
They also told us there is a culture around random dances, which are meetups where people will perform the choreography from groups' music videos or concert performances. People can join in whenever, if they know the dance to the song that's playing.
Lightstick:
At K-Pop concerts fans might also be holding lightsticks at concerts. Keirnan says K-Pop groups sometimes have colors and/or characters that represent each member. At concerts, fans might have a glowing lightstick to show support for their biases or their favorite group. Keirnan says through Bluetooth, the lightsticks might glow to the beat of whatever song a group is performing.
Macon K-Pop also sells lightstick holders so fans can be comfortable while showing their support for their biases.