My recent trip to Los Angeles included a stop at the Line Friends Hollywood store and I wanted to talk about the experience with you all!
Line Friends is a collection of characters originally used as digital stickers on messaging apps and has vastly expanded into merchandise and collaborations such as BT21, their partnership with BTS. And with the massive expansion came physical stores, including one in Hollywood that I visited.
I’d best describe visiting Line Friends Hollywood as an experience. In the store, there are photo ops with different characters, both BT21 as well as others although BT21 is the main focus throughout the store.
Probably the biggest draw is the handprints of the members of BTS as an ode to the Chinese Theater located across the street. You can go up to each one, compare your own hand to theirs, and it is a great, unique photo op for this store specifically. This is how I learned that my hands are the same size as Suga’s.
As for actually shopping, the selection was not very good for BT21. But I have two theories as to why that was at the time I went, with the first being that BT21 is just more popular so it sells out faster. But I was at the store right at opening essentially, so the stock should not have been as pitiful as it was. So my second theory is that the store is suffering from the supply chain issues happening because of COVID.
I did buy a few things though, including a Van plushie and location postcards because I liked the art. The third thing I got is a Christmas gift for my best friend and I’m actually surprised I managed to get something for her based on the selection. But I did and I hope she’ll like it.
Overall, I would maybe go back with a friend or if they have some big changes. But I wouldn’t strive to go there to shop again since the stock was so-so and I could get better selection shopping online.
Do you have a favorite Line Friends character? Tell me who with a comment! I’m personally partial to RJ and Koya.
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