Taking ideas to fruition brings unique offerings to Guam’s market

BY ALTHEA ENGMAN
Journal Staff

Two businesses bring new ideas to Guam in a market wide open for innovation. Meanwhile, a firm island favorite has opened a second location.

Life Four Cuts opened its “self-studio” location on the first floor of the Micronesia Mall early April.

The self-studio has become a popular trend in South Korea and the term “selfie booth" has become a part of South Korean culture.

Korea’s self-studio has 315 stores nationwide with 19 stores in the U.S. mainland,16 stores in Japan, two in the United Kingdom, three each in Singapore, Canada, and Vietnam, one in Guatemala and Malaysia, and now its first in Guam.

Yuni Kim, owner, who with her husband, Moon, is also the franchise owner for Vons Chicken; decided to open the self-studio booth because her daughter loved to use the self-studio booths in Korea. Kim told the Journal, “When I saw how happy my daughter was taking these pictures, I thought to myself that creating a business like this wouldn’t be too difficult to replicate and seeing how excited kids and teenagers are taking these pictures, I was driven to do so.”

Clients can choose a single frame for $8 or a multi frame for $10 and choose from the large varieties of props available. Clients use the the studio, take pictures, and wait for the printout. Photos can also be accessed through the QR code on the printout itself.

The Micronesia Mall location has three small booths which fit up to four people and two booths that fit up to 10 people.

Kim said when figuring out the price, “I looked at other international locations to compare and made sure Guam was affordable.”

Unlike the South Korean locations, Guam has employees. Kim said, “Because this is something new in Guam, I needed employees to help smooth and add to the fun of the operations.”

Additionally, K-pop fans can now capture memories with different K-pop artists. Life Four Cuts has partnered up with these artists to add their pictures to the printout. Kim said, “It is an extra cost because we have to pay royalties to these artists,” but she ensures that “the profit goes to a foundation under the artist’s name.”

Customers can expect new props as for holidays or celebrations throughout the year and the possibilities of a new location. 

For more information visit its Instagram page @life4cuts.guam

Blaze Restaurant and Bar, Guam's newest Yakitori styled restaurant opened its doors at the Acanta Mall mid-April and has something new for the island community. 

Owned by husband and wife, Joe and Queenie Quichocho, also current business owners on Guam stepped into the food and beverage industry because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joe Quichocho said during the pandemic,he saw bars were shutting down while restaurants continued operations and as a bar owner himself he and his wife thought that this was something they could do, although challenging.

Fast forward to 2024, the couple brought their thoughts into reality.

With an investment of more than $100,000 Blaze brings Guam different varieties of meat and seafood on skewers with veggies. 

In the next few months, he said, “We’re going to try to add on more local dishes to the menu such as Kalbi beef, parrot fish, steak bites, and more.”

He told the Journal the restaurant took more than a year to open, especially to find the right venue. Now that Blaze is in the heart of Tumon Bay, Quichocho said, “I hope to see more of a crowd coming in with locals, tourists, and military personnel.”

Blaze is open Sunday to Saturday from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. with food item prices from $5.99 to $12.99.

There are plans to open for lunch, but for now the Quichochos  “want people to come down, relax and have a try at the menu as they indulge in drink specials.”

For updates and additional information visit its Instagram page @blaze_guam.

Good news for those living in the North of the island, as Parisco has opened its new location at the Payless Supermarket in Yigo. It is open Monday to Sunday from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more photos of the new location, see our gallery here.

For updates and additional information visit its Instagram page @pariscoguam. mbj