It’s that time of the week again and this week I talk to Amb, a collector whose collecting spans over 282 albums, a photocard stack to die for, and the most gorgeous pickets (It does feature WWH) She gives her tips and tricks to buying, and curating a collection at your own pace. Welcome Amb as this week’s ‘Shelfie of the week’
What was the first band that got you into K-pop?
Amb: The first K-pop song I heard was "TT" by Twice. In 2017, I was scrolling through my Musical.ly 'for you page' (which is TikTok now) and I saw a video of the popular creators Lisa & Lena dancing to the song. I thought the song was super cute and I started listening to all of Twice's songs. Because I listened to Twice, I automatically got recommendations for other groups on my Spotify & Youtube and that's how I fell in love with many groups.
What was your first Kpop album purchase, and what's your favorite one to date?
Amb: I remember this very clearly because the album I bought was so overpriced! It was "Young Forever" (the night version) by BTS. One of my favorite albums, music, and packaging-wise, has to be "Love Yourself: Her" by BTS. This is probably the K-pop album I've listened to the most and I've been to the Love Yourself Tour so there are many memories attached to the songs. Also, I own a signed copy with my ult bias Jin's signature which is super special to me.
How many albums do you think you own? Do you have a checklist of the remaining ones to collect?
Amb: I actually counted the number of albums I own a while ago for a TikTok video. If I add up the ones I got after I published the video, I own 282 albums. At first, I did have a checklist for my ult groups: BTS, Itzy, and TXT. I own all Korean albums from BTS and Itzy and I'm waiting for my TXT "Thursday's Child" albums to come in. For the other groups I collect I don't have a wishlist or checklist, I usually just buy the latest releases or albums I like.
Out of all the albums you have, which would you say has the most aesthetically pleasing packaging?
Amb: Since I own a lot of albums, it is very hard to pick just one. If I really had to choose, I would probably pick "Love Yourself: Answer" by BTS. The physical album is gorgeous and easy to display on my shelf. I'm obsessed with the holographic album sleeve, photocard concepts, photobook, and gorgeous cd. What I also love is the size of the album: it's not too big or too small.
Your collection varies from Stray Kids to BTS is there a piece of merch or a particular album you’re still hoping to purchase?
Amb: There are 2 merchandise items, that have been on my wishlist for ages the "2016 BTS Live On Stage: Epilogue" DVD and the BTS "Wings Concept Book". Since they are out of print, they are pretty hard to find in good condition and for a reasonable price. If I find a good deal for either of those two items, I will buy them immediately.
How do you like to display all your shelves/albums? What's your favorite part of the process?
Amb: My "main" shelf is the Kallax shelf from Ikea, it's the cube shelf. Because of all the little cubes, I love to display my albums/DVDs by group and by color. BTS, Itzy, TXT, and Enhypen all have their separate cubes. All my other albums and DVDs are divided by color. My favorite part of the process is adding new albums to complete sets. It's super satisfying when the spines have prints on them that connect and form an image or word.
Your Instagram feed features a lot of Jin (BTS) in the form of pickets and photo cards etc. For those who want to purchase pickets where do you recommend to purchase, and what’s the best way to display them?
Amb: I absolutely love pickets! Newest releases I usually buy from Cokodive. They're my favorite online store and they have pretty good pricing. For older, out-of-print releases I usually search on eBay or local Facebook groups. Often you can find pretty good deals on there. Finding out how to display my image pickets has been a real challenge, but I found a method that works perfectly for me. All you need is 2 transparent push pins. Put one pin on each side of the picket, at the top of the handgrip, and push it into your wall. Your picket will stay in perfect condition! Mine has been hanging on my wall like this for about two years and they haven't fallen.
Your ITZY photocard collection is very aesthetically pleasing not to mention huge. How long have you been collecting, and any tips on how to start building a compilation?
Amb: I got my first Itzy album, "It'z Icy", in 2019. I started collecting their photocards in 2020, so that has been around 2 years now. My main tip on collecting photocards is to make a wishlist with which cards you want to collect. Almost every group has preorder benefits, lucky draws, collabs, etc nowadays which can be overwhelming. Decide for yourself what kind of cards you want to collect. I personally only collect Lia and Yuna's album photocards and I keep album pulls from other members. I also occasionally buy other photo cards I really like, but I mainly stick to album pcs only.
For those who want to get creative with displaying their albums, what are the best things to have to start the process?
Amb: To spice up your shelves, you can get book displays. They can be used to display an album a bit higher than others, which makes it stand out. I usually display my signed albums on there, I also like to get mini easels or polaroid holders to display photo cards uniquely. You can get those at hobby/craft stores and they're usually super afforable and cute.
Who inspires your decor, and do you have any good tips for keeping shelves organized and aesthetically pretty?
Amb: When I first started collecting, @mykpopLA 's account and room were my biggest inspiration, she's also the reason why I started my collection account on Instagram. My main tip for keeping your shelf organized: make sure to clean your merch regularly. All my albums and shelves get dusty very quickly so I make sure to do a big cleaning session often (usually once a week).
Also, when you get some new merch or albums, put them on your shelf as soon as you can. As I'm writing this right now, there's a huge stack of like 10 albums and a pile of 20+ photocards sitting on my shelf which I haven't put away yet.
Amb: Collecting K-pop merch and albums is a hobby, it doesn't make you more of a fan or "better" than anyone else. No matter if you own no albums, 5 albums, or 100 albums, we all love and support our idols. What's most important is that you enjoy the music and content your favorite groups make.
Follow Amb here. Be sure to stick around @KpopWise for more updates on all of your favorite Kpop artists and idols!