Voxcali

Founded on the Japanese value of mottainai, 2nd Street has grown into one of the world’s largest resale retailers, giving pre-owned fashion a second life.

In the trendy shopping districts of Los Angeles and New York, chances are you’ll see a 2nd Street, a vintage streetwear clothing store, but what most people don’t know is that this shop has created a resale empire in Japan.

The very first 2nd Street opened in 1996 in Kagawa, Japan by GEO Holdings Corporation and their mission was simple: give unwanted items a second life. While many thrift stores solely relied on donations, 2nd Street built their business around inspecting and purchasing items from customers then pricing and reselling them. Eventually, they expanded into luxury handbags, accessories, sneakers, electronics, music instruments, and more, giving customers the ability to buy and sell anything under one roof.

This model created a different kind of shopping experience than your typical secondhand store. It reflects the Japanese value of mottainai, a belief that usable items should not be wasted. So rather than promoting constant consumption, 2nd Street encourages extending the life of clothing and other goods. In recent years, this mindset has become very mainstream as consumers are being more cautious of fashion’s environmental impact, leading them to seek more sustainable ways to shop.

2nd Street became known for its constantly refreshed selection of everything from affordable everyday items to high end labels like Louis Vuitton and Supreme. Since everything is thoroughly inspected and authenticated, shoppers view 2nd Street as a treasure hunt where you can score gold on any day.

Under GEO’s leadership, 2nd Street evolved into the company’s fastest-growing division. Today there are over 1,000 stores, including 900 locations throughout Japan and dozens across the U.S. and Asia. The first U.S. location opened in 2018 on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles and has since then rapidly expanded in major metropolitan markets. In 2024 2nd Street accounted for nearly 50% of GEO’s reported $3.1 billion revenue and has recently announced their goal to open 5,000 stores worldwide by 2036.

2nd Street has become more than just another thrift store and as the global resale market continues to grow, the Japanese retailer is positioned to remain one of the secondhand industry’s biggest names.

The President receives two pieces of shocking news from Silicon Valley.

Tom Kagy (00:00:01)

Any chess player knows that capturing the Queen is one of the quickest ways to dominate the board for almost certain victory.

You might say the white queen in the chess game that Jack Tang sets in motion in Midnight in Karakorum is First Lady Megan LaChapelle Taylor.

But Chip Garrison, special aide to the president is under the impression he's playing an entirely different game in which he's the joker designated as the wild card.

Garrison's entry into the game is one factor Jack Tang may have failed to consider when he conceived his grand scheme to tilt the global order in his favor and secure return of the woman who gave him life, as well as his own ultimate freedom.

So here then are Chapters One and Two of Midnight in Karakorum.

Yes, the decision would seem selfish and unpatriotic—maybe even stupid—but it was the only one she could live with. 

Even if it hounded her to the grave.

Would she survive the firestorm when it became public Monday?  The First Lady quaked at the thought.  It couldn’t be as bad as the hell of the last three years.  Nothing could be as bad as that. 

The face in the double-layer of Plexiglass stared back as the chartered 707 rolled up to the V.I.P. gate.  In those rainwater-blue eyes Megan Lachapelle Taylor saw only the despair of a middle-aged woman who had lost herself.  Where was the celebrated beauty and glamour?

After the weekend there would be no more cause to dazzle crowds and cameras with a radiance fueled by her soul’s nuclear decay, no more stifling her rage to keep from rocking the ship of state.  That promise of liberation gave Megan the will to unbuckle the seatbelt and descend the stairway for the limousine sweep into downtown San Francisco, the first stop of a California fundraising swing. 

The six-minute speech to a sea of rounds of ten was followed by the main ordeal—a numbing series of handshakes with cooing trial lawyers in their best Brioni suits while a strobelike barrage of flashbulbs kept her blinded.  What could wow a client more than a photo of his lawyer shaking hands with the First Divorcee?  The thought gave a moment of life to Megan’s fixed smile.  The fawning faces kept coming and the ten minutes agreed to by CTLA’s honchos ran over by five.

After escaping the trial lawyers the entourage made up the lost minutes by taking advantage of a CHP motorcycle escort.   The Benz stretch-limo, courtesy of old friend Jack Tang, rolled into the driveway of Palo Alto’s Gold Lion a scant half-minute behind schedule.  To Megan’s disappointment Jack wasn’t there to escort her in.  In his place was a balding, paunchy chip fabricator she recognized as Logan Chu, another leading Asian American contributor.  He clasped Megan’s hand, gave her a proper airkiss and, beaming like a proud father, escorted the First Lady into a gigantic ballroom packed with, Megan guessed, two and a half million in contributions.

“Jack should get here before you finish your talk,” whispered Chu into Megan’s ear, and left her at the podium to face a warm standing ovation, the heads filling the ballroom rising like a black tide.

“My dear friends of the Asian American Technology Association,” began the First Lady as she had begun a hundred speeches before crowds of adoring strangers.  Among the many feelings that had brought these six hundred overdressed people to this ballroom was patriotism which, as the crowd showed, crossed racial lines.  No matter what the future held for her, Megan felt obliged to touch them one last time as their First Lady.

The speech lasted nearly eight minutes, having been augmented by over a minute of extemporaneous remarks about her admiration for what Asian Americans had contributed to California’s prosperity and to the global economy. 

“I will never be able to think of the great state of California, without remembering my dear friends of the Asian American Technology Association.”

An instant before her final few words found the audience, the microphone died.  As Megan sensed the fading of the sound system, the cavernous ballroom went dark.  From the tables rose a murmur of uncertainty, followed by humorous catcalls to strands of laughter.  No one seemed worried.  The Gold Lion was a major hotel.  Surely someone would soon find the circuitbreaker switch or, if this were a power failure, switch on the emergency generator. 

Determined to set an example by her composure, Megan waited patiently at the podium.  Suddenly she heard a quick silent struggle behind her where two of her Secret Service agents had been standing.  She felt strong hands grip her arms and pull her backward from the podium through the heavy velvet curtain.  Before she could speak, a gloved hand clamped her mouth and she felt herself lifted off her feet.  Her captors handled her with such sureness that struggle felt futile.  The speed of their passage through the blackness suggested they were wearing infrared goggles.  Megan felt herself being carried down a long flight of steps.  Her terror rose into a scream stifled by the gloved hand clamped over her mouth.

An engine roared to life.  The darkness was sliced by the headlight of a black van lurking in the underground utility access area.  As she was shoved into the van, Megan glimpsed the face of one of her abductors, a muscular Asian wearing a black tuxedo like every male guest at the fundraiser.  As the van squealed away in a violent arc, she struggled to stay up but was thrown back by the surge of centripetal acceleration.  She felt a sting in her left upper arm, a spreading ache, then the slow spinning she recognized as the effect of a hospital-grade barbituate injected into the bloodstream.

Midnight at the White House in more ways than one, mused Special Aide Chip Garrison as he rode the elevator to the second floor of the Mansion. 

Garrison dreaded what he would find in the bedroom.  The President was having a very late tea with the purported daughter of the Chinese Ambassador.  Ah, the stories that cold cups of tea could tell!  Garrison took a quick breath before rapping hard on the thick white door.  No answer.  Well, here was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to unleash his voyeuristic impulses, test out his theories about the President’s sexual predilections vis-à-vis a 24-year-old Chinese beauty.  

Garrison gripped the oversized doorknob.  About time someone helped the Boss see that the White House wasn’t the No-Tell Motel.  It wasn’t every day that a midnight barge-in squared with Emily Post.  What had just happened out in California screamed for the President’s attention, the learned Ms Post would agree, and the man had ignored Garrison’s urgent phone calls.  That could mean only one thing—the President was screwing his brains out. 

With another quick breath, Garrison pushed open the tall door and shouted, “Excuse me, Mr President.”   After stealing an eyeful of the President and his tea guest engaged in an act that Garrison wasn’t sure he could pull off, he politely turned toward the far wall where a handsomely-framed John Kennedy was watching the noisy thrashing with what Garrison decided was fond remembrance.  The thrashing stilled as both heads jerked toward the intruder. 

“For Sweet Jesus’s sake, Chip!” panted the President.

Garrison kept his gaze on John Kennedy as he delivered the news.  “The First Lady has been kidnapped.  And Jack Tang has been murdered.”

“Dear God!”  The President untangled himself—with unseemly reluctance, it seemed to Garrison—and swung his feet around to sitting position.  “What do we know?”

“She was speaking at a ballroom of the Gold Lion Hotel in Palo Alto, you know, the AATA fundraiser.  The lights went out, total blackout.  By the time the Secret Service restored power, she was gone.”

“What about Tang?”  

“He was supposed to have been at the fundraiser.  Never showed.  Right after the abduction his secretary Alice Chen rushed to his Los Altos Hills estate and found his body.  Messy killing, quite photogenic.”

The tea guest retrieved silken things and slipped into the bathroom as the President pulled on boxers and plopped into an armchair.  “What’s our involvement?”

“What do you mean, Sir?”

“Just what I said,” snapped the President.  “What’s our involvement?”  The President’s eyes locked on Garrison’s.

“None, Sir.” 

“None?” 

“None.”

The President held the gaze.  A sinking feeling came over Garrison as he understood what the Boss was asking.  Did the President really think he would have had the First Lady abducted just to spare him a reelection-killing divorce?

Would his father have done something like that in service of his president?  All Garrison knew was that his father wouldn’t have blinked before throwing himself in front of a bullet, especially the ones shot from a rifle that late November day in Dallas.  No doubt of that in Garrison’s mind.  His father had finished out his unhappy life nursing a dark grudge against the Secret Service Director who had kept him from that fateful trip.  But would his father have sacrificed his own moral code in the service of his boss?  Chip Garrison couldn’t really say.

At six a.m. Friday morning, barely six hours after the President had been rudely interrupted in flagrante delicto, four staffers sat before him in the Oval Office.  To the President’s bleary eyes they were a picture of high-level beetlebrowed befuddlement.  Chip Garrison wasn’t among them, in accordance with the President’s desire to ensure that his special aide maintained a detached perspective, to offer off-record options and to keep everyone else honest. 

During the first of his two senate terms, as the youngest senator in history, the President had learned to second-guess the motivation of his collective staff.  Forced constantly to jostle for position, the egoes of ambitious functionaries often tricked them into substituting their own self-interest for their boss’s best interest.  On top of that, it was inevitable, really, for them to acquire a vested interest in proving out their boss’s incompetence and worst nature.  How else could they prove their own value to him?  At the same time, the President well knew he needed all these other eyes and ears, hands and mouths, to be involved enough to carry out intelligently the hundred routine but necessary tasks that could otherwise keep him buried in a bewildering array of minutiae, unable to provide the sound judgment that could only be exercised from the still eye of the storm. 

Several pots of caffeine poured into their systems had produced consensus on one point at least—the President must cancel the Tokyo summit and remain in Washington D.C. until the First Lady’s abduction was resolved one way or another. 

“You’re a concerned husband first, the President second,” declared Belinda Bosch, the President’s brand-new press secretary.  Only her second day on the job and already the green-eyed, button-nosed blond was burning whitehot with the excitement of burnishing a president’s tarnished image.  “Tokyo is important, but you’re far too focused on ensuring the First Lady’s return to worry about foreign policy.  You’d better lose the coat and tie for the morning’s press conference, let them know you’ve been up all night.”

Who was he to argue with a gal who had performed a triple bypass on a stricken gossip rag and rebuilt it into the nation’s fattest monthly, mused the President?  What lent that feat real poignance, in his eyes, was that it had been done while keeping her lithe little 35-year-old body in remarkable shape.  Delectable shape.  Temptingly packaged, too, in a red Calvin Klein mini-suit.

“Maybe we should play down the Jack Tang murder,” offered Chief of Staff Brock Reiner between gulps of coffee.  “I’m not sure it helps the President to have people think the kidnapping has some sinister connection to his Asian supporters.”

His oversize tortoise-shell glasses made Reiner’s large brown eyes look even larger as they scanned the other faces in the room.  The 36-year-old boy wonder had been tapped for his cerebral wattage.  Unfortunately, it tended to shine mostly on the meat-and-potatoes side of the presidential terrain—a weakness alarming to a president entering the final five months of a reelection campaign.  A streetfighter was needed and Belinda Bosch’s political reflexes had been sharpened in the canyons of Manhattan where fact was a four-letter word and sudden death, a fact of life.  To her, Brock Reiner—with his bulging, prematurely-balding frontal lobe—was Bulb Boy, an assessment that jived with the President’s own.  But that only enhanced Reiner’s appeal.  The President liked being undisputed cock-of-the-walk.

“But everyone knows he’s my closest friend.”  The President still had trouble believing Jack Tang was dead.  The man had been more alive than virtually anyone he knew.  A pang of guilt racked Frank Taylor as he recalled the private lunch with Jack the day before his murder.  Tang had flown across the country and practically begged him to ask Defense Secretary Gerald Fletcher to grant an exemption from the ban on foreign travel imposed by Tang’s deep black Pentagon contracts.  The President didn’t know the precise nature of the work Tang’s firm was doing, but he had refused.  Out of concern for national security and Jack’s own safety, the President had told himself, but he recalled all too well that a more immediate concern had been to keep from compromising himself politically by calling attention to his cozy relationship with a wealthy Pentagon contractor, even if the favor could have attracted the notice of only a handful of people at the Pentagon, the CIA, the FBI and the State Department’s Passport Office.

“The Asian community would be offended if the President didn’t show real grief at Tang’s death,” said Bosch.  “We must play up the personal double tragedy, the loss of a wife and a best friend.  That will immunize the President against political attack for at least a few weeks, maybe through the election.”  Only decorum kept a gleeful smile off Bosch’s pretty face.  Since taking the press secretary job, her biggest headaches had been the President’s uncontrolled libido and failed relationship with the First Lady.  Now a generous god had eliminated both problems with a snap of the finger, giving Bosch the far headier challenge of positioning the President for what looked to be the biggest landslide in Presidential election history.  There was a special place in American hearts for grieving presidents.  At the moment Bosch’s secret worry was that the damned FBI would somehow recover the First Lady safe and sound before November.

“I agree one hundred percent,” blurted campaign manager Daryl Delgado who had been nodding vigorously to everything Bosch said.

“But we can’t have a President debilitated by this tragedy,” protested Reiner.  “That could backfire, especially with all these hotbutton social and economic issues Bartlett fired up the last two weeks.”  So far Republican presidential nominee Nancy Bartlett had refrained from attacking the President below the belt, but everyone in the White House had been turning blue waiting for the other shoe to drop.   Meanwhile, Bartlett had been laying the groundwork by blaming the President for contributing to a precipitous decline in America’s moral standards.

Bosch flapped her hand dismissively, barely giving Bulb Boy the courtesy of a glance.  “Is Bartlett dumb enough to attack the President when he’s in pain?  I don’t think so.  Not for months.  She’ll be falling all over herself to express sympathy and support in his hour of grief.”

“Agree one thousand percent,” added Delgado, nodding like a maniac.  “Mr President, any chance we can get Bryce up here in time for the press conference?  A good-looking First Son’s good for a couple of points.”

“Let’s leave him out of this.”

“Just a thought.”

Penn Stoner, the President’s speechwriter, had been quietly doodling and chewing his pencil.  Sensing a lull in the discussion, he ventured, “So we want to lead with the kidnapping, then touch on Tang toward the end?”

“Not just touch on,” insisted Bosch.  “The man is dead, for god’s sake.  He would have been the second coming but for this tragedy.  That will score major points with the Asian community.”

“Absolutely,” agreed Delgado.  “Asians are thirteen percent of the California vote.”

“Tang was a Pentagon contractor, for Christ’s sake,” blurted Reiner.  “How sympathetic can the voters be about a man who got filthy rich on weapons systems?  It will only raise questions about the President’s connections.”

“I had nothing to do with his contracts,” said the President firmly.  “Jack was totally self-made—lawyer, software genius, businessman.  His company makes video games, you know.  We don’t have to talk about the defense contracts.”

“The press will dig up the defense contracts sooner or later, what with the murder investigation,” persisted Reiner.  He was deeply worried about the Tang connection.  “Maybe we can fudge it for now by saying ‘software company’.”

“Speaking of investigation,” said the President, suddenly anxious to be done with this particular meeting, “When is Hanson getting his creaky old ass over here?”

As if on cue, the President’s secretary ushered in a tall pasty-faced man with pale thinning hair and blue eyes glittering with suspicion.  The President jumped up to shake Samuel Hanson’s bony hand, noting once again how warm and dry they were.  That impenetrable steadiness, in the President’s admiring view, came from the fact that Hanson was completely devoid of political impulses.  Wonder of wonders, a man of unusual field skills and absolute integrity had ended up in the FBI’s top job.  As much as he found the crusty old codger a pain to meet with, the President couldn’t fault his Republican predecessor’s choice for FBI Director. 

“We can’t tell you much yet about the kidnapping,” began Hanson, without waiting to be asked.  He seemed to inhabit a world in which he was always the epicenter.  “Smells like Americans to me.”

“How so?”

“Tell you why, Mr President.”  Hanson leaned forward confidentially, and pointed a thick finger at the President, fixing him in his red-rimmed gaze.  “Planned and timed right down to a split second.  No wasted motion.  Nothing left behind, not one print.  Only one nation on earth with operatives trained for that kind of quality work.”

“Maybe Americans working for another nation?”

“Maybe.  Maybe not.  Tell you one thing, though.”

“What’s that?”

“She’s safe.  For now anyway.”

“How do you know?”

“Anybody invests that much effort and planning to take her alive wants her safe.  Killing her would have been a cinch.  Hell, any clown could have done that anywhere along her route.”

“When will you know more?”

“Can’t say yet.  Maybe not until they make a demand.  That’ll give us something to go on.”

“How many agents do you have on the case?” Reiner asked.

“What difference does it make?” Hanson snapped without turning to look at him.

“I was just wondering.”

“Don’t worry about how many agents we got on it.  Worry about not helping them by asking too many fool questions, the answers to which don’t mean a damn to anyone but them.”  Hanson cut Reiner a stern look before resuming his focus on the President.

“Now on this Tang murder, they got a suspect, last guy seen with Tang last night.  According to Fletch’s boys at the Pentagon, the security agents they had staking out the Tang place didn’t see anyone else going into the house that evening.”  After a long pause, Hanson pulled a sour face.  “I don’t like him though.”

“Why not?”

“Stinks.”

“When you say he stinks—?”

“Doesn’t smell like a murder suspect.  Name’s Robert Rosefall, a lawyer who publishes some Chinaman magazine, married, two kids, lives in Malibu.  Tang’s secretary says he was at Tang’s place doing an interview.  Thinks they were old friends.  Doesn’t fit my notion of a murderer.”

“Any motive?”

“California boys are cooking up some silly blackmail theory.”  Hanson rolled his eyes.  “Dumbest thing I ever heard.  Unfortunately, they may make it stick.”

“Why do you say that?”

“County DA’s up for reelection.  This case looks like his ticket, biggest thing to hit the Bay Area in years.  He’ll nail someone, doesn’t much matter who.”

“How awful,” gasped Belinda Bosch.

Hanson ignored her.  “Seeing as how Tang was a highly classified contractor, we’re doing a routine espionage workup.  If we turn up anything, we’ll make it a federal prosecution before those California boys make a mess of it.”

Suddenly the President recalled the evening a good twenty years ago when he had gone drinking with Tang and Rosefall, but decided there was no point in mentioning that connection.  He stood and shook Hanson’s bone-dry hand.

“Fax me a daily memo on your progress,” said the President, more for show than anything.  If anything significant turned up, his Special Aide Chip Garrison would brief him hours before the crusty codger would get around to faxing him a memo.

Historic golf rounds, rookie records, and milestone ownership stakes highlight a massive week for Asian athletes across professional sports.

Michael Kim delivered a historic performance by shooting a brilliant 59 in the second round of the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities, marking the 16th sub-60 performance in PGA Tour history and setting a brand new course record.  He ultimately finished at seventeen under par, tied for 10th place, earning a cool payout of $222,000 for his remarkable weekend efforts.

On the LPGA tour, Jenny Shin captured the Scottish Open title with a stellar wire-to-wire performance at Dundonald Links, marking the third consecutive event won by a Korean player.  This victory bolsters a dominant season where Korean golfers have claimed seven of the nineteen tournaments played so far, and players representing Asian nations have earned ten titles.

After receiving a scheduled day of rest, Kazuma Okamoto returned to the starting lineup and promptly etched his name into the record books.  The Toronto Blue Jays third baseman established a new benchmark for home runs hit by a Japanese-born rookie with his 23rd long ball, officially surpassing the previous record held by Shohei Ohtani.

Milwaukee Bucks’ lottery pick Brayden Burries earned a respected selection to the NBA Summer League First Team following a dominant multi-game showcase in Las Vegas. The standout young talent ranked fifth overall in scoring by averaging 23.5 points per contest, while anchoring his squad on the defensive end with two steals and one block per game.

Former All-Star and veteran MLB pitching standout Chan Ho Park officially joined an active ownership group with the Athletics.  The investment group also consists of Asian American actors Ken Jeong and Daniel Dae Kim.  Park, who once became the first Korean player in Major League Baseball, is now the first Korean investor to purchase a stake in a franchise.

After setting a goal to eliminate single use plastic from household cleaning, Sarah Paiji Yoo developed a company that has generated hundreds of millions and prevented one billion plastic bottles from entering the waste stream.

Blueland was co-founded by Sarah Paiji Yoo with a simple, yet ambitious goal: eliminate single-use plastic from household cleaning. For most shoppers, cleaning products are must-purchase household essentials, but Yoo wondered why consumers are paying to ship cleaning liquid in single use plastic bottles. This led her to help co-found Blueland, a company that is transforming the cleaning product industry with refillable bottles and cleaning tablets.

Sarah Paiji Yoo was born and raised in California and later studied at Harvard University where she graduated with a degree in economics. She started her career working at big names like McKinsey & Company and Goldman Sachs, proving that she had a promising career in finance, but Yoo always knew she wanted to develop a company of her own.

Yoo left Harvard before completing her MBA to focus on her very first startup, a mobile shopping app called Snapette, which she founded in 2011. Snapette ended up being acquired by PriceGrabber in 2013, marking Yoo’s first successful exit as a founder.

Her next idea came years later after becoming a mother. She began researching the environmental impact of everyday household products and learned about plastic pollution and unnecessary packaging in the cleaning industry. In 2019, Yoo partnered with John Mascari to launch Blueland, introducing the world to refillable cleaning bottles that come with tablets that dissolve in water. The Blueland team spent years developing formulas that were high quality and sustainable and finally received a national breakthrough after appearing on Shark Tank.

Sarah Paiji Yoo scored an investment deal from Kevin O’Leary and consumer demand increased after the episode aired in 2019. Blueland expanded to more products and from there landed spots in major retailers like Target, Costco, and Whole Foods.

The company has reported over $300 million in lifetime sales and 80% revenue growth in 2025. Blueland also estimates that their products have prevented over one billion single-use plastic bottles from entering the waste stream, earning them recognition on TIME’s 100 Most Influential Companies of 2026.

Sarah Paiji Yoo helped challenge an industry built around disposable plastic and today she stands amongst a growing generation of Asian American entrepreneurs who are proving that innovation and purpose go hand in hand.

By securing the NBA’s greatest shooter, Li-Ning further challenges industry dominance, highlighting the sustained momentum of Chinese firms in the global sportswear market.

In a recent move that made the biggest splash in the global sportswear industry, Steph Curry has officially signed a landmark 10-year, $400 million partnership with the Chinese sportswear giant Li-Ning.  This deal marks a significant turning point for the greatest shooter of all-time, who parted ways with Under Armour last November after a successful 13-year tenure.  The new agreement is far more than a standard sneaker contract; it encompasses basketball, athleisure, and a full golf line, while also granting Curry the authority to sign other athletes to his burgeoning Curry Brand.

Curry’s decision highlights the growing influence of Chinese athletic brands on the international stage.  Li-Ning, which has aggressively expanded its footprint, already boasts an impressive roster of NBA talent.  Most notably, the company features Golden State Warriors teammate Jimmy Butler, who signed in 2020, and NBA legend Dwyane Wade, who secured a lifetime deal with the brand in 2018.

The competitive landscape is increasingly crowded, with other Chinese firms also making major inroads.  Anta, for example, has solidified its position with a high-profile roster that includes Klay Thompson – who signed a lifetime deal during this year’s All-Star Weekend – and fellow Dallas Mavericks All-Star teammate Kyrie Irving, who inked a 5-year partnership in 2023.  The same year, 361 Degrees bolstered its basketball credibility by signing 3-time MVP Nikola Jokić, joining fellow brand endorser and current Nuggets teammate Aaron Gordon.

This surge in global competition has created significant headwinds for industry giant Nike, whose stock recently hit 12-year lows.  The “Nike versus Curry” narrative isn’t new; it played out once before by proxy during the 2016 NBA Finals.  At that time, Curry was the face of Under Armour, a brand that had successfully penetrated the basketball market amidst a budding Warriors dynasty, while LeBron James carried the torch for Nike.  When the Cavaliers famously overcame a 3-1 series deficit to clinch the title, the momentum shifted and Under Armour arguably never quite recovered its initial trajectory.  We’ll see now if Curry, in the late stages of his career, can successfully ignite the Li-Ning brand in the American market.

After a viral video showcased his rare combination of size and perimeter talent, basketball scouts are racing to uncover the truth behind the mysterious 7’4” prospect.

You’ve heard of White Iverson, now meet “Indian Wemby.”  At 18 years old and standing an imposing 7’4", Jagmeet Singh is rapidly becoming a focal point of intense internet chatter following his recent spotlight in a viral Courtside Films video.  Much like Victor Wembanyama, Singh has captured attention for his rare combination of interior size, mobility, and perimeter skill, boasting a repertoire that includes ball-handling in transition, rim protection, and the ability to knock down three-pointers.

Born in Tanda village in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district, Singh’s basketball journey is still in its infancy, especially considering he only picked up the sport in 2022.  After honing his skills at the Ludhiana Basketball Academy, he relocated to the United States.  He currently resides in Chicago, where he has been making the rounds at prospect camps and playing with programs like AR Elite.  Singh previously represented India at the FIBA Under-16 Asia Championship in Qatar.

Despite his notable performance at the recent Courtside Camp, Singh’s future remains uncertain.  Major recruiting services like ESPN, Rivals, and 247Sports do not currently have him listed, leaving his next basketball steps a mystery.

A breakthrough for Indian-born talent in the NBA represents the next great horizon for the global game.  While no Indian-born player has ever played in the league, 7’5” Sim Bhullar broke ground in 2015 as the first player of Indian descent to appear in an NBA game. The same year, Satnam Singh Bhamara became the first to be selected in the NBA Draft, though his career tenure was limited to the G-League.  Today, the collegiate landscape features notable talent of Indian descent like Loyola Chicago’s Ryan Agarwal and Saint Louis’ Ishan Sharma.

Whether a college program will eventually take a gamble on Singh’s size and raw potential as a long-term project – hoping to mold him into the next alien-esque unicorn – remains one of the most captivating sports stories yet to be told.

Following a string of historic victories, South Korean prodigy Juni Kang looks to cement his status as a global icon at the inaugural X Games League Summer Championship.

Seventeen-year-old Korean skateboarder Juni Kang is competing in the inaugural X Games League Summer Championship, beginning in New Orleans on July 24th.

Kang’s recent performance has been remarkable.  Earlier this month, he captured gold in the Men’s Skateboard Street Best Trick event at X Games Chiba 2026.  This followed his win last month in Sacramento, where he secured his first X Games gold in the same event.  He earned that Sacramento victory with a nollie backside 270 heelflip to boardslide 270 out of a 12-stair handrail, demonstrating the precision that has defined his professional development.  In April, he claimed victory at an SLS tournament in his debut, a result that is viewed among the most significant rookie performances in the league’s history.

He achieved a major milestone in 2025 by becoming the first Korean skateboarder to medal at the X Games, where he secured silver during his Street debut in Osaka.  His rapid development was recognized by key international victories at the 2025 Copenhagen Open and the 2024 Tampa Am, both of which established him as a premier global talent.

Kang is currently represented by Gifted Existence Management, an agency established by his idol, two-time Japanese Olympic gold medalist Yuto Horigome.  Beyond his current competition schedule, Kang has set a specific long-term target of qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.  If he maintains his current level of success, he will be a primary contender to represent South Korea on the Olympic stage.  Until then, all eyes remain on skateboarding’s newest standout as he continues to push the boundaries of the sport.

This ancient Chinese folk tale teaches that kindness begets love that can overcome vast differences.

It's about a fox.

But not just any fox.

A very magical one.

Long, long ago, on the edge of a great forest where the pine trees whispered to one another whenever the wind blew, there lived a little white fox.

She was clever.

She was curious.

And she loved watching people.

Every evening she would sit quietly beneath the moon and watch families laughing together, children chasing fireflies, and grandparents telling stories around warm lanterns.

"I wonder," she would sigh, "what it would be like to live with such kindness."

You see, in those old stories, it was said that if a fox lived with a good heart for many, many years, it could learn wonderful magic.

So the little fox studied the stars.

She listened to the birds.

She learned from the wind.

She practiced until, one moonlit night, she became a beautiful young woman.

She still had the same kind heart.

Only now she could walk among people.

One spring morning she met a young scholar named Lin.

Now, Lin wasn't rich.

His little cottage had a leaky roof.

His table wobbled.

Sometimes supper was only a bowl of rice and a few vegetables.

But he always smiled.

He shared what little he had.

If an old neighbor needed firewood, he carried it.

If a child dropped a basket of apples, he helped pick them up.

The fox spirit watched him for many days.

"The world needs more people like him," she whispered.

So one afternoon she knocked gently on his door.

"My name is Mei," she said with a shy smile.

"I've been traveling alone. Might I stay for a little while?"

Lin welcomed her gladly.

"Of course," he said. "My home is small, but there's always room for a friend."

Well, children, that little cottage became a very happy place.

Mei swept the floors until they sparkled.

She planted flowers outside the window.

She cooked delicious soups that somehow always tasted just right.

When someone in the village was sick, she quietly left vegetables or herbs at their door.

She never asked for thanks.

Helping people simply made her happy.

Before long, Lin realized he couldn't imagine life without Mei.

And Mei felt the very same way.

So they were married beneath blooming peach trees while birds sang overhead.

The neighbors smiled and clapped.

Everyone agreed they were a perfect match.

For many years they lived happily together.

But there was one secret Mei had never told.

She was still, deep inside, the little white fox from the forest.

Sometimes, when everyone was asleep, she would slip outside beneath the moon.

For just a few moments, she'd become a fox again.

She would race through the grass, chase butterflies, and thank the forest that had raised her.

Then she'd quietly return home before sunrise.

One autumn evening an old traveler stopped by their cottage.

He looked at Mei with thoughtful eyes.

"I know your secret," he said gently.

Mei grew frightened.

"Will you tell everyone?" she asked.

The traveler smiled kindly.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I've watched you."

"You've been nothing but generous."

"You've brought happiness wherever you've gone."

"What matters isn't whether someone began life as a fox or a person."

"What matters..."

"...is the kindness they carry in their heart."

Mei felt tears fill her eyes.

She thanked the old traveler, who smiled once more before continuing on his journey.

From that day forward, Mei worried much less about her secret.

She simply kept doing what she had always done.

She loved her family.

She helped her neighbors.

She cared for the little birds in winter and left bowls of water for thirsty animals in summer.

Years passed.

Their children grew up laughing beneath the peach trees.

And every now and then, if one of them happened to wake in the middle of the night, they would look out the window and see...

...a beautiful white fox dancing happily beneath the full moon before quietly trotting home.

They would smile sleepily and whisper,

"Good night, Mama."

Then they'd snuggle back into bed.

And no one thought it strange at all.

Because love has a funny way of making even the most wonderful secrets feel perfectly ordinary.

So remember, my sweethearts...

People may look different.

They may come from different places.

They may have different stories.

But the truest magic isn't found in turning into someone else.

The truest magic is choosing to be kind.

And if you ever see a little white fox sitting quietly at the edge of the woods, looking up at the stars...

Be sure to smile.

You never know.

She might be practicing how to become even kinder.

Now close your eyes, my little loves.

May your dreams be filled with moonlit forests, soft fox paws, blooming peach blossoms, and hearts that are always gentle.

Good night.

Following up on Brat Summer’s massive success, Charli XCX pivots to a guitar-driven sound for her upcoming seventh studio record.

Charli XCX is set to release her seventh studio album, Music, Fashion, Film, on July 24th. The record centers on a rock-pop sound defined by distorted guitar textures, embodied on the track “SS26.”

The 33-year-old British Indian pop star launched her music career as a teenager in London’s underground rave scene while chaperoned by her parents.

Her mainstream breakthrough occurred in 2012 when she was featured on Icona Pop’s “I Love It.”  The punk dance-pop track hit number one in the UK and gained substantial international airplay.  The following year she released her debut studio album, True Romance, which earned generally positive reviews from critics.

In 2014, Charli XCX provided the iconic hook for Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” which reached number one in the U.S.  The track’s production reflected DJ Mustard’s ubiquitous urban radio sound, earning a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year and achieving 9x platinum status.

That same year, she released her breakout single “Boom Clap.”  It served as the lead track for her second studio album, Sucker, and anchored the soundtrack to the blockbuster film The Fault in Our Stars, which grossed over $300 million.

She released the standalone single “Boys” in 2017, accompanied by a music video intended to “flip the male gaze on its head.”  She also issued a Chinese version of the track, continuing a trend of multilingual releases.  Japanese language editions of Sucker and the 2019 album Charli were also produced.

Her album How I'm Feeling Now arrived in May 2020.  Its standout song “Party 4 U” was officially released as a single five years later due to its latent viral popularity on TikTok.

For her 2022 album Crash, Charli XCX leaned into an '80s-inspired dance-pop aesthetic.  This retro, new jack swing influence is vibrantly expressed in the Janet Jackson-esque track “Baby.”

She released her 6th album, Brat, in July 2024, charting at number one in the UK and number three in the US.  Inspired by her roots in London’s illegal rave scene, the album features “Guess,” featuring Billie Eilish, which stands as her most streamed Spotify song with nearly 900 million plays.  “Von Dutch” earned a Grammy for Best Dance Pop Recording.  The project also secured Grammys for Best Dance/Electronic Album and Best Recording Package, acknowledging the influence of the cultural phenomenon known as “Brat Summer.”  This Y2K, neon-green aesthetic exudes unapologetic confidence and a chaotic, party-centric attitude.

Charli XCX’s musical consistency and artistic evolution have cultivated a cross-generational fanbase and 30 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Think Nordstrom is only for luxury shoppers? Think again. In this episode, we break down the free services, styling secrets, and shopping tips I wish every customer knew.

Kelli (00:00)

I've helped hundreds of people shop for everything from their first job interview to their homecoming to weddings to vacations and complete wardrobe makeovers too. So today I wanna share everything that I've learned while working there and give you guys some of the best shopping secrets that most people don't know.

I'm going to tell you how to actually shop at Nordstrom, how to save money, and why I think everyone should use one of the personal stylists And why I think everyone should use the personal stylist services that everyone offers. There are so many perks that come with shopping at Nordstrom, so let's get into it.

First up, we have the free personal styling services. Everybody doesn't know this, but the biggest secret is that Nordstrom offers free personal styling. I can't even tell you how much celebrities spend on personal stylists. And at Nordstrom, all you need to do is book an appointment.

This service is completely complimentary. There's no fee. You can book an appointment with a stylist, and that stylist will pull out all different kinds of product for you. You just have to tell them all of your measurements, then you tell them what you're looking for. If you're looking for a complete wardrobe makeover, we can make that happen. The appointment is completely personalized around you.

We also ask you about your budget. We ask you what kind of brands that you like. We ask what your typical style is. And a lot of the time, personally speaking, I like to get people out of their comfort zones. So I will always pull specific items that I think they wouldn't choose on their own. I always make it a goal of mine to get customers to leave with something that they wouldn't usually pick out themselves.

When you arrive to your appointment, your fitting room is completely prepared. There's a bunch of different tops, bottoms, shoes, and accessories. And instead of wandering around the entire department trying to figure out if this matches with this, we have everything there for you. The stylist also puts together different outfits, different pairings.

The appointment is pretty much going to allow you to discover what looks good on you. I think everyone should probably use this service. Stylists are not for wealthy shoppers only.

Some of my favorite appointments were helping people build a wardrobe for their first corporate job or even just finding an all black outfit for a wedding.

Basic wardrobe refreshes are also very fun because people know what they like, so it's a lot easier to choose items that they from brands that they would originally like.

And honestly, just having another set of eyes can make shopping so much less stressful and more fun.

Once you have your appointment, you can either decide if that stylist was right for you, or you can go ahead and book with a different stylist and see if that person would work better. You definitely want a stylist that you can trust. You want a stylist that you can build a relationship with and keep shopping with them. If you keep shopping with Nordstrom, I'm going to later go on about all of the amazing perks that you can find and I'm going to really explain to you.

How Nordstrom is not just for wealthy shoppers. A good stylist is going to be able to learn your size, learn all your favorite brands, and learn what you would really gravitate towards. They know your lifestyle and just the items that they pick, you totally love. The shopping becomes easier. They know what you're gonna like before you even walk in. So I definitely recommend sticking with one stylist that you really trust.

When it comes to booking an appointment, I recommend booking an appointment during the peak times of the year. It's very important to book one during the anniversary sale, which is the half yearly sale, which happens around July to August time. And also I would recommend doing it during the winter season because so many things go on sale. You want to shop smarter, not harder. And I see a bunch of people buy random pieces because

They think that it's really cute, but they don't have all the pieces back at home to style that item.

So when it comes to building a wardrobe, I recommend the essentials first. Great denim, a blazer, maybe a pair of white sneakers, trousers. For men, I also would recommend basic white tees, basic black tees, and also some layering pieces.

Once you have those, everything else kind of becomes a little bit easier. You can start buying pieces that would go with your capsule wardrobe is what we call it. Your wardrobe should feel like it all works together instead of just a wardrobe with a bunch of random pieces.

That's pretty much what a stylist is for. A stylist will help you build that entire capsule wardrobe and from there we can pull different pieces that we think would go with your style and go with your entire aesthetic of what we already know that you have.

I will definitely admit that working at Nordstrom completely changed the way that I shop. I used to buy a lot of trendy pieces because they were always inexpensive. Fast fashion was very in, but at Nordstrom, a lot of the brands definitely give quality. Quality over quantity is very important when it comes to shopping. I would rather own one amazing, nice-fitting blazer that would last over five years.

Then five blazers that lose its shape after one season.

Just because some of the prices at Nordstrom are a little bit higher doesn't mean that you won't get use of it. Denim is a huge purchase that I feel like people look over, but a good pair of denim jeans will last you so many years. It will look good with so many pieces that you have in your closet already. I really do believe in investing in well-made, good quality basics.

It will save you money over time because you're gonna be replacing them less often. At Nordstrom, a lot of items go on sale. Honestly, pretty much everything goes on sale after a period of time. I always recommend people to get the app and I always recommend for people to download the app and add items to their wish list because then you can get a notification that tells you exactly when an item goes on sale.

Of course some may get sold out by the time it's on sale, but if you just play the waiting game and you really want this item and you don't want to pay full price for it, I promise it eventually will go on sale. Whether it is six months from now, that item may come back and it might be on sale.

I recommend waiting. During anniversary time, a lot of basic items go on sale. Denim goes on sale. T-shirts go on sale. Leather jackets, denim jackets, a lot of great capsule wardrobe items go on sale. So this is definitely a good time that I recommend buying these items. It's a great time to start to restock.

Now another thing that people look over is the alteration services that Nordstrom offers. So when you sign up for the Nordy Club,

when you buy a full price pair of denim, you can get those altered. I recommend taking advantage of the alteration services because

Tailoring items to your body can make a reasonably priced outfit look incredible just after a few simple alterations. Hemming jeans is completely free at Nordstrom as long as it's full price. The fit of something is often more important than the brand on the tag. So if you are looking for somewhere to get your alterations done that isn't too expensive, I definitely recommend going to Nordstrom.

Another thing that people don't know about Nordstrom is that the beauty department offers a lot more than just shopping for makeup. Depending on the location, a lot of the time brands are offering free complimentary beauty services like beauty events where you can get free skincare, free makeup products, samples,

You can get makeup applications or touch ups and even fragrance experiences.

Nordstrom card holders are always invited to more of the events. We do product educations, we do fashion shows,

Gifts with purchases, we do special beauty events where you can get personalized recommendations. There are so many different beauty services that Nordstrom offers that you can really take advantage of.

I recommend checking your local stores beauty event calendar to see what kind of activations are going to be happening soon in your area.

I've been mentioning this throughout the episode, but the biggest advice that I have is to join the Nordy Club. When you join the Nordy Club, you open up a membership with Nordstrom. It's free to sign up and you start accumulating points, which turn into notes that you can use at Nordstrom. From there, you get invited to a bunch of different events. Obviously, the more money that you spend, the more perks that you get.

You get alteration credit,

You get to book your styling appointments.

And even during anniversary time when you're a Nordi club member, you get early access to sale items. It's one of those things that costs nothing but can actually save you a lot of money over time.

As an Nordstrom stylist, my biggest styling advice is to really not follow trends. The best dressed clients aren't the ones that are spending the most money. It's understanding what worked for their body. They understood their lifestyle. They understood what clothes they should buy and what they were actually excited to wear. Confidence always puts an outfit together. If you're constantly buying clothes that you don't feel comfortable in or feel like you have nothing to wear it with.

then you shouldn't be buying any more, you should just be buying better.

Working at Nordstrom has taught me so much more than just how to style

It's taught me more about confidence and communicating with clients and really understanding people's lifestyles so that you can help them feel like the best versions, so that you can help them feel like the best version of themselves.

Whether you're shopping at Nordstrom once a year or every month, you can find so many great pieces at such great prices. Don't let the luxury label scare you away because if you shop smart, you can get some great deals. You can really build that capsule wardrobe up and you can build that confidence up every time you step out of the house.

I hope these tips helped you shop a little bit smarter and feel a little bit more and feel a little bit more comfortable walking into a Nordstrom.

Thank you guys so much for listening and we'll see you in the next episode.