After hosting numerous pop-ups in SoHo, hello82 officially christened its new East Coast location with a ribbon-cutting celebration last week.
Known as the ultimate fan space for K-Pop enthusiasts, hello82 began expanding from the West Coast to the East Coast last year. On Jan. 24, the U.S.-based K-Pop label and lifestyle brand opened its first year-round brick-and-mortar location at 427 Broadway, giving fans a permanent place to gather.
amNewYork spoke with Vayr Lacy Hudson, Senior Manager of Fan Space, about the significance of the new location.
“hello82’s strength has always been in building community. When we opened our Atlanta Fan Space in 2024 and would ask people at our events where they came from, we heard ‘New York’ so often. We truly felt the support of the Northeast and knew we had to be here. At the creation of hello82, we wanted to be ‘Wherever You Are,’ and we are so excited to bring hello82 to NYC and grow together,” Hudson said.
Since the summer, hello82 has hosted pop-ups and listening parties with artists such as ATEEZ and P1Harmony. However, the long-term goal was always to establish a permanent space with steady hours rather than temporary events.
“It’s a relief, honestly. Every time we had to close after a pop-up, it felt like saying goodbye to friends we’d just made. Many of our team started as fans who attended these events, so losing that dedicated third space where they could all be fans together was difficult. Having a dedicated offline space to trade photocards, dance together, listen to K-Pop, and hyper-focus on our favorite artists year-round — knowing it’s not going anywhere — is really exciting,” Hudson shared.
Since the brand’s inception, community remains at its core identity. Hudson emphasized that fans are always a part of hello82’s DNA.
“The community really is the brand. It’s the heart of ‘Wherever You Are.’ As we grow and reach new voices, it shapes the decisions we make as a business, and we continue to grow alongside that community,” Hudson added.
At the grand opening, visitors browsed signed albums, traded photocards, entered giveaways, and purchased fan-centric merchandise. With small tables gathered throughout the large space and shelves stocked with lightsticks, albums, and apparel, it proved that it’s not a retail shop but a community center for K-Pop.
“It truly all comes back to the community. They’ve [fans] supported us for so long, and it’s only right that we support them in return. The K-Pop experience is the community. We’ll continue striving to make K-Pop more accessible to fans — from albums and merchandise to the artists themselves — but introducing more ways for fans to celebrate what they love is just as important,” Hudson said.
Community plays a major role in K-Pop culture, and according to fans at the opening, the new space already feels like a local hub where they feel seen and heard.
Holding Yeonjun’s solo album “No Labels,” Gianna Pellegrino-Margolis, 17, said hello82 has given her a place to meet friends, exchange ideas, discuss biases, participate in activities, and trade photocards.
“I absolutely love hello82. When I first got into K-pop, this was the first place I came after the P1Harmony concert, and I met so many nice people. The staff are so sweet. It’s great to be somewhere I know the idols have been and that they trust,” Pellegrino-Margolis said.
For longtime friends and fans Natalia Laporta and Jenny Guan, the SoHo opening became an unexpected reunion spot. Laporta, who moved to Florida, met up with Guan in New York, and although they hadn’t planned on attending the grand opening, it quickly became the perfect destination.
“We’re reuniting today, and we became friends because of K-Pop, so it’s really big for us. Stray Kids was the door for us,” Laporta said.
“I’m such a big fan of ATEEZ. I’ve been watching hello82’s YouTube videos for years. The most memorable item I bought was a signed Golden Hour Part 2 album signed by Seonghwa,” Guan added.
Last summer, New York City got an early taste of hello82’s presence when ATEEZ made a surprise appearance. Hudson recalled the moment as a milestone.
“Our first large event in NYC really sticks out. When we were running the simultaneous album release and tour event for ATEEZ and the members themselves dropped by hello82 NYC, it was unreal. We had worked so hard to bring these experiences to the East Coast, and suddenly we had New Yorkers listening to ATEEZ with ATEEZ themselves in the space right before their Citi Field performance,” Hudson said.
While Hudson could not reveal specific plans for 2026, she encouraged fans to watch hello82’s social media channels for upcoming announcements.
“We can never say too much, but follow @hello82NYC and @hello82official to keep up with everything we have planned. Just like our other fan spaces, NYC will soon host a variety of events that help connect artists and fans,” Hudson said.
