Another year is passing by! I must say, 2023 has been such a busy year but a very important one! This year, I decided to leave my full time work I was doing to focus 100% of my time and energy into GHOST GIRL GOODS! I think doing that was the one key event that made this year flow the way it did. (It was the canon event shall I say~!)
GHOST GiRL GOODS hosted 3 community events and attended 8 conventions!! To top it off, we had our very 1st pop-up shop and solo gallery in Japan!! I've written many blog posts on our events and events I have attended also. I did not write that many kawaii interviews this year (actually....I only wrote 1!) and I guess that's because I was so focused on GHOST GiRL GOODS operations. During events, I have gotten so busy that it's harder for me to find some time to do little interviews with others, but that's ok!! Its the evolution of the brand and when I do find time, I can still do them.
We also reached 5,000 followers on instagram! Of course, this may not seem like a lot for some people, but I am proud to know that 5,000 people are looking at and watching GHOST GiRL GOODS! (even if some of them are bots hahaha!)
I've started to share the story of GHOST GIRL GOODS Journey through panels at more events. I really like to share my story because it gives people insight that it's taken me over 10 years to reach certain goals and achieve certain things.
I am always learning more and more about keeping this brand going and sometimes it's challenging. I myself do a lot of tasks on my own (all internal operations are by me) and I've reached a point where, hopefully in the new year, I can gain some more assistance with brand operations!! On the outside, things look peachy all the time. But I am working very hard, facing personal challenges, stresses, situations. I am so grateful for everyone who takes their time to read things we post, look at our video and content, see us in person, say hello, send us a message, help out during any events, ect. I will always provide everyone with quality, honest business, and happiness from each and every interaction. Thank you everyone. GHOST GiRL GOODS wouldn't be here without all the love and support we receive!
Here is the full overview of all the events for 2023!
Valentine's Pop-Up at Wonder Bubble Tea - Sunday February 12th
A fun event at the beginning of the year that Kyelor and I hosted! I really love to collaborate with Wonder Bubble Tea, as their owner is very kind and open to so many ideas. We always have a great experience together! Unfortunately, Wonder Bubble Tea has shut down (they sold their shop unit for new business ventures!) But we are really happy with the memories we made there. (I still think about the strawberry milk tea with chocolate ice cream from this event from time to time!)
Fashion Special Guest at Anime St. Louis - April 21st - 23rd [St. Charles Convention Center - St. Louis MO, USA]
The first convention for 2023. This was our 4th American appearance and my first time in St. Louis!! It was so nice to be able to see and hang out with friends and meet the great community. I travelled there by myself since Kyelor was not able to join unfortunately, but many friends were at the convention as fashion staff!
Sanrio Friends Party at Wonder Bubble Tea - Sunday April 30th
Another fun event Kyelor and I hosted at Wonder Bubble Tea, themed around the super adorable Sanrio characters! We were even lucky enough to have some special sponsored prizes! Our plan was to host a few more pop-up events after this one, but our schedule got quite busy. So this was the last one! Glad it ended on the cutest note~!
Fashion Special Guest at Anime North - May 26th - 28th [Toronto Congress Centre - Etobicoke, ON] A very busy, but successful convention weekend. 2 panels, fashion show appearance, and working the booth! I met lots of returning customers and new ones as well. Kyelor, Kristine (@honeyhitman) and my cousin Casey (@eggandtoast) were there to help out during the weekend. In May, we also released our collaborative zip tees with Game Nest arcade!! We showcased them at Anime North.
Event Host at Yeticon - June 17th - 18th [Blue Mountain - Collingwood, ON]
I really hope that Yeticon will return next year. This year, they faced many complications due to Blue Mountain's switch in owners. Yeticon is a convention that is so relaxing and laid back, yet full of fun and excitement!! I always make such special memories there and I really hope that I can continue to support Yeticon for many years to come. Besides, it was the con where we first held out Jojo's Bizarre Red Light, Green Light game and I refuse to bring it to any other con because IT IS A YETICON EXCLUSIVE!!! Yeticon did make a public post saying they will be sharing details about 2024, and it seemed like a positive post! Wishing them all the best and hoping everything will work out for some sort of 2024 event!
At this time, our close friend HoneyHitman did a collaboration with us, which was the Ready? FIGHT! Crewneck and GHOST Fighter Enamel Pin! We showcased these at Yeticon!
Harajuku Fashion Picnic in Toronto - August 6th
We hosted our first Harajuku Fashion Picnic and this will not be our last! We will definitely be bringing it back again in the summer of 2024 and we definitely want to work with Whimsical Twist again for tasty picnic foods.
Special Guest at Anime Magic! - August 18th - 20th [Donald E Stephens Convention Center - Chicago, IL, USA]
GHOST GiRL GOODS was a fashion guest and also the MC for the cosplay contest, which was loads of fun! It was a great community and I loved seeing so many Jojo cosplays! Mika of Sin City Anime joined me at this con and was so helpful with taking photos and video of the fashion show~!
Panel Guest at Edmonton Expo - Sept. 15th - 17th [Edmonton Expo Centre - Edmonton, AB] GHOST GiRL GOODS was invited to showcase a low-key fashion show and panel. It was also an excuse for me to see my cousins who live in Alberta haha!
Kei Con - Sept. 29th - Oct. 1st [The W Hotel - Toronto, ON] The local fashion event which included a fashion show, panels, special guests, and a tea party to wrap up the fun on the Sunday! GHOST GIRL GOODS had a booth, participated and ran the fashion show, and hosted a panel on the Saturday. I was also the MC for the tea party on the following day.
GHOST GiRL GOODS Harajuku Showcase: Pop-Up Shop at 6%DOKIDOKI and GHOST GiRL GOODS Gallery at Design Festa Gallery - Oct. 7th - 22nd
One of the highlights of the year was having my very own pop-up shop at 6%DOKIDOKI and my own solo gallery at Design Festa Gallery in Japan!! It was a dream come true for both these opportunities and I am truly grateful. (This was probably my biggest achievement of the year!)
Guest of Honor at Sin City Anime - Nov. 3rd - 5th [Gold Coast Hotel and Casino - Las Vegas, NV, USA] One of my favourite cons to be a guest at! I love the community I've met there and of course the staff members too. This year, I did a lot! From MCing the opening and closing ceremonies, voice actor's Q&A, RinRinDolls panel assistant, MCing the cosplay content and fashion show, fashion show participation AND worked the booth. For this con, Kyelor was not able to take the time off work, so I was joined by my friend Jade of HoleyLink! (It was her first time ever going to an anime convention and selling her goods in person!)
(here is a photo from the closing ceremonies, with the special guests featured in the front!)
Guest of Honor Kumoricon - Nov. 17th - 19th [Oregon Convention Center - Portland, OR, USA]
The con that ended off the con season for 2023 and it was definitely the best way to do it. Reunited with HYPER CORE, Kurebayashi, and my 6%DOKIDOKI friends. Got to also see some other friends, had great booth interactions, and one key moment that was another highlight of my entire year. My friend @LovelyLor joined me at Kumoricon and I was glad she was able to capture so much video moments for me while I was so busy!
As we get ready for 2024, we already have 2 confirmed events that we will be at! Sananime on January 5th - 7th and Anime St. Louis April 26th - 28th!
We also have our first new release which will come in January, and a special collaboration coming in April! We cant wait to share all these new goodies with you and hope youll love them just as much as we do~!
Thank you once again if you read over our whole year review! We appreciate you so much! PLEASE LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEW YEAR WITH US! Wishing you all the best with happiness, success, and good health. Hang in there, life is full of twists and turns, but always be YOU!
BE STRANGE. FEAR THE NORM.