Thoughts from Fasan.
Thoughts from Fasan. Life and love from the person behind the counter.
I started my journal on the Fasan website a couple of weeks ago…
Seriously, people saw my journal and reached out. Some sent emails with comments. Some came into Fasan in person, brought gifts, and left thank you notes. And the ones who told me they came because they read my journal... that got me. I didn’t expect that. I’m really grateful.
And the last post is before I visit LA, it’s a surprise trip for my wife. (I will explain in more detail and share more.) After that, I hate to say, oh is because I am busy with the shop or with my life, so I didn’t post anything at all. The truth is, man, I am just lazy. Nothing wrong with face real to yourself, and yes, I am just too lazy and tired when I just got back to New York. The next day, I am doing nothing at Fasan. I am just sooo tired, and I sit there the whole day to recover from the trip. Getting tired from the trip is not a bad thing because I am traveling and spending time with my wife, whenever I am right next to her, and I feel like I really have my life lived! That is an amazing feeling, not just that we are busy with work, but also that she is making life easier, happier, and memorable, even though we are still working when we travel,
even though we have tons of errands and a to-do list we can’t finish, but I am still enjoying doing all this with her. And most of the time, she will be curious and check in with me if I am really happy about all this, and I will tell her again and again, I love all these moments and doing all this, and keep being busy with you together are really making me feel like my life is alive.
1. Why this, why now
When Fasan turned one year old, there was no big emotional moment. It just felt like another day. But somewhere in the middle of that day, I thought — I can’t believe we made it to year two. I took some photos with regulars. Ask their permission first.
These are people I met for the first time across a counter, and now we ask each other how the day is going. Not small talk. Real talk. I love how I live now. I love that this is my life.
The reason for Substack is simple: I want to share more. I want more people to see me. Whether you’re curious about Fasan, or curious about what I’m doing here, or curious how any of this started — I’ll share it here. Here’s something I noticed: even when I wasn’t posting on my website, the views kept coming. New subscribers every day. Emails, DMs, messages. At first, I thought it was random. Then it kept happening. I realized — people are paying attention. And I owe them something more curated than a journal buried on a shop website. I used to think I wanted privacy. But I was wrong. What I actually want is to share somewhere that matters. Reddit, Instagram, RED, TikTok, the journal on my website — I’ve tried all of them. And now I think maybe here is the right place. Finally. By the way, today (June 23) it’s raining in New York. Everyone who came in today complained about the weather. But I didn’t mind. Because for the first time in a while, I woke up more curious about what I want to say than about what the weather is doing. That’s a good sign.
2. What kind of community are you looking to build here
Substack asked me this question. I love that they ask it. Honestly, I grew up in China and lived in China and Korea, and for the longest time, I didn’t really understand what “community” meant in the way people use it here. I heard the word in business all the time. Target audience. Community building. But did I ever really think about it for Fasan? Probably not that much. Everything about Fasan has been organic. I never planned the community. I just showed up every day and made coffee. But if you ask me what kind of community I want to build here, I want people like me. Real. Willing to be wrong. Willing to take responsibility. Curious about the world. Empathetic. I’m not sure I’m intentional about building community. I think I just live and people watch. And maybe that’s enough. My wife said something that stuck with me: “When you think about something, write it down and process it. When you want to eat something, go eat and enjoy. When you care about something or love someone, stand by what they need and show you care.” That’s the community I want to build. People who live like that.
3. Be specific
I want to share the inside of a coffee shop owner’s life. The stuff people don’t usually talk about on social media. I grew up on a small island in China. When I was in high school, I used to go to the second-hand market just to look at fashion magazines. I didn’t even understand what I was reading. I just kept going back to that corner. When I moved to Korea, I got my first MacBook. I found YouTube. Suddenly, I could watch someone else’s life, travel through someone else’s video, see parts of the world I’d never been to. I spent most of high school watching other people live. I kept going back because it broke my understanding of the world. Again and again. That curiosity — I think every human has it. We want to know what’s out there. So I’ll share my life here. Maybe it inspires you now. Maybe in 10 hours, 10 days, or 10 years. But I want to do it, so I’m doing it now.
4. The photo
Without my wife, there is no Fasan. She is the one who really built this from the beginning. I’m just the person standing in front of the counter making your coffee. She should take all the credit, not me. The photo I chose for this page is the one that feels most like the truth. Don’t forget to subscribe — and check out fasancoffee.us when you get a chance.
5. What is next
We have a new schedule now. Fasan is open Friday to Tuesday, 10 am–5 pm. Closed Wednesday and Thursday. After a year of opening every single day, I finally gave myself two days off. I think this is what people call work-life balance. Haha.
Next post: what happened in LA, and what I do when Fasan is closed. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, come in on the weekend, grab a coffee, and tell me what you want to read next. Or we can talk at the counter.
Kim
Hi kim!!!