Story Spark — Local Undercover

Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do:

Hi, we're Alex Louie and Sun Kim, co-founders of STORY SPARK. Coming from graphic design and film backgrounds, we began STORY SPARK as a boutique brand to help others connect. The products that we create include original graphic t-shirts and prints inspired by art, technology, and pop culture. All items are designed with a concept and a sense of fun for the engineer, gamer, entrepreneur, techie, and anyone who appreciates a unique perspective.

Let us know more about your business name - how did you come up with it?

Like with much of our process, the name, STORY SPARK, came about organically. It was actually a term that came about many years before we even started the brand! The essence came about through the question of how people can connect in a meaningful and human way. It just so happens that it aligned well with our own passions for art and technology - where STORY is the art and SPARK represents the tech.

What is your signature style / item? How did it become so?

As we're based in southern California, the signature product line that we've been known for is our original art and tech-inspired graphic t-shirts. We started STORY SPARK with a collection of 6 unique techy designs and it has now grown to over 50 since then. The majority of our designs utilize a circuit board pattern that acts as a visual metaphor for technology and we've had a lot of fun incorporating it into a variety of hopefully fun concepts.

What makes your business unique to the industry?

What we think makes STORY SPARK different is our ability and perspective to create visual designs that are concept-driven and unique from the big brands. Being a boutique brand, we only produce small quantities of certain products before moving on to new ones.

What's been your biggest roadblock when it comes to business and how have you been able to overcome?

One of the biggest roadblocks has been how to effectively grow our business. We've been slowly managing the process year by year by attending more events, partnering with other brands, and investing in outreach. However the current pandemic situation has disrupted many of our growth plans that were in the works, unfortunately. However, we plan to continue to pursue our journey optimistically.

How has your business had to adapt amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic? What are you doing to navigate the situation?

Like most other small businesses, the pandemic threw our business a major curve ball. Without being able to connect with people in person to tell our story and show the quality of our products up close, the business has been challenging to say the least. Fortunately, we've always had an online presence, though it has never been as effective as in-person events. So the focus lately has been managing how to increase the reach and effectiveness of our website by looking into SEO optimization and digital marketing.

What is your favorite part of what you do?

As designers, our favorite part of STORY SPARK is being able to create new products and seeing the reactions that are garnered from them. There is just something magical about seeing one of your creations being enjoyed by another person.

**What is your must do local activity?**

We'd say our "must do" local activity would be supporting our local cafes and fellow artisans. We're big coffee and pastry fanatics, so our mornings just wouldn't be right without them. Plus being part of a community of arts and artisans has been so encouraging, especially during these times.

Where to find Story Spark

Online: storyspark.com
Instagram: instagram.com/storyspark
Facebook: facebook.com/storyspark
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/StorySpark