Rocky Mountain Public Media , the home of Rocky Mountain PBS, KUVO Jazz, and TheDrop303 has a partnership with Colorado Ethnic Media Exchange to launch this monthly essay series, as part of our vision to co-create a Colorado where everyone feels seen and heard. These stories are sourced from community members across the state—told in their own words and selected from our 64-county community ambassador program. They are not editorial products of our journalism team, but are first-person reflections on life in Colorado - building bridges through empathy. Learn more about all of our brands and content at www.rmpbs.org/about .
When people discover Boxtastic at Denver International Airport, they’re often drawn in by the bright displays, colorful characters, and the excitement of opening a “blind box.” Behind that experience is Michael Ye, quietly building and shaping the vision of Boxtastic alongside his wife, Mimi Luong Ye. While Mimi is often the face of the brand—connecting with the community, sharing stories, and bringing energy to events—Michael is the one carefully crafting what Boxtastic is becoming. In 2024, he noticed a growing trend while running their family gift shop, Truong An Gifts, in Denver. Labubu dolls made by Pop Mart, a Beijing-based toy company, had become an explosive fad. Pop Mart sells the line of various Labubus in a “collect them all” ethos of blind boxes, in which the exact item inside is a surprise until it’s open. Then consumers keep buying them to collect the other ones. Labubus became Pop Mart’s biggest worldwide hit. After Truong An’s Labubu popularity and long lines waiting outside their gift shop door caught the attention of Denver International Airport, the Ye’s came up with Boxtastic, which was more open-ended and not tied to just the Labubu fad. Like a spinoff for a hit television show, Boxtastic, is inspired by the blind boxes that generate repeat purchases. “It’s kind of become the thing that I love,” Ye says of the Truong An-inspired world of retail. “And Boxtastic is just a version of that. It’s a spin-off.”
To understand the passion that owner Sean Choi of 3456tea has for the drinks he serves, first you have to understand the shop’s logo: four symbols of three horizontal black bars, with some broken into two pieces. The symbols represent three, four, five and six. To understand the logo, look at the flag of South Korea. The same black bars, or trigrams, adorn the flag, surrounding a red and blue symbol that’s known to us in the West as “yin and yang” – representing opposites but also great duality, equality. It’s about accepting that opposing forces can be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent. The flag was designed in the 1880s during the Joseon Dynasty, but became the official flag of South Korea in 1949. The flag represents deeply historical Asian philosophy and tradition. For Choi, who is 43, the trigrams represent multiple meanings like the four seasons, the sky, sun, moon and earth or the four points of the compass, and virtue, righteous, wisdom and morals. He chose the name 3456tea to bring in “unification to our community and allowing good and righteous morals to be fed into the current crazy world.” And his shop does this by serving traditional Korean beverages and desserts. Choi has the symbols on his store merchandise like hats and t-shirts, and even has the four tattooed on his arm. He is more than proud of his Korean heritage: he’s passionate about it. To share his passion with a growing base, he recently moved 3456tea from the Coark Korean food hall to the heart of Koreatown off Havana Street near HMart. He dreamed of bringing his drinks closer to the community, but it took time to find a location. When a boba shop closed, Korean community leaders recommended him for the location. “I was trying to see what the options were, and then, community leaders around here were saying we need to be in this perfect spot.” His goal is to bring his community-based, “collaborative vibe into this plaza.” In the new location, he plans to continue hosting community events like the popular K-pop parties that bring in families. Choi and others on his staff are experienced DJs so customers can expect more than just drinks and desserts when they come in the door, or in the parking lot as summer arrives. “We do a lot of community events,” Choi says proudly. “Smaller scale would be hosting K-pop themed events, which we can do a lot of those here. We have also participated in night markets, Aurora Global Fest, Dragon Boat Festival, the Dragon Boat Film Festival, all the programs that go on at the Social Fabric Hub. That’s our people, so we help out with stage music, emcee and participate as a vendor.” People would ask him why he spent so much time organizing community events for free. “But honestly, I enjoy it. I love seeing people come together and have a good time at these events,” he said.