Formerly on KimchiAndKenKey 

When Spotify announced the top ten markets for Korean pop in Sub-Saharan Africa, four East African countries made the list: Kenya, Mauritius, Uganda, and Tanzania. Beyond the Spotify streams, East Africa in particular Kenya has consistently positioned itself as one of Africa’s K-pop powerhouses, with activities like the KAI-FE cup-sleeve event and the Kenyan Stays meet-up to name a few. 

After noticing the expansion of K-pop in East Africa and considering the struggles of purchasing K-pop merchandise, Joan, a BTS fan from Kenya set out to create a way out for her fellow K-poppers in the region.

With a passion akin to that of her favorite actor Ok Taecyeon, Joan opened Kenya’s first physical K-pop store tagged “The Purple Berry,” an honorable reference to BTS’ official color purple. In addition to selling authentic K-pop albums and light sticks, The Purple Berry takes pride in making affordable customized t-shirts, stickers, phone accessories, jewelry, Lomo cards, keychains, bags, stationary, hairbands, photobooks, photocards, and gift packs among others. Their customized merch has met the demands of K-pop, K-drama, and anime fans in East Africa since October 2020.

When asked about her biggest accomplishment as a K-pop merch vendor, Joan replied “Our pop-up shops.” After a year of selling its products online, The Purple Berry went a step further by opening a physical store in Nairobi. This allowed her to physically display her unique and creative items in addition to her online trading. However, the pressures of education led to the physical store’s temporary closure, which Joan regards as their greatest obstacle.

The Purple Berry has received positive feedback from the East African K-pop community throughout the years. Fans of K-pop groups such as BTS, Stray Kids, BLACKPINK, ATEEZ, and others were pleased by the uniqueness of the customized merchandise. Outside of the K-pop world, Pick Up MTAANI, a Nairobi-based delivery service named The Purple Berry a “top sellers-heartthrob.”

Head to The Purple Berry’s Instagram for more details on their services.

Words by Joella Nuer and Ella Okunmwendia