We forecast 1,500 guests.More than 3,000 came.
In June we ran our first pop-up outside Los Angeles. Bloom Haus was a three-day K-beauty event in a 2,500 sq. ft. space at 1451 Wycliff Ave in Dallas.
We forecast 1,500 guests. More than 3,000 came over the two public days, the line passed four hours, and several brands sold through their stock.
Those numbers are flattering. They are also a forecasting miss: we underestimated the market by half. This piece looks at why, and at what it suggests for any brand deciding where to go after Los Angeles and New York.
Discovery is national. Trial is still local.
U.S. K-beauty sales reached about $2.8 billion in early 2026, up roughly 48% from a year earlier, according to NielsenIQ data reported by CNBC. Retail is catching up fast. Olive Young opened its first U.S. store in Pasadena on May 29. From August 20, Sephora began carrying 19 Olive Young-curated brands in more than 500 U.S. stores.
U.S. K-beauty sales in early 2026, up 48% year over year.
Source: NielsenIQ, as reported by CNBCThat distribution mostly serves brands that have already won online. A product goes viral on TikTok and reaches a shopper in Plano on the same day as a shopper in Koreatown LA. What does not travel with the algorithm is the chance to test a texture, match a cushion shade or ask a person a question.
Brand-led experiences such as launches, pop-ups and masterclasses still happen mostly in two cities. For an emerging brand, that leaves most of the country aware of the category and unable to try the product.
Why Dallas
We looked for a market with three things: scale, an existing Korean retail base, and a gap in format.
Scale
North Central Texas added about 204,000 people in 2025, according to the regional council of governments. Collin County alone added 64,703.
Retail base
Carrollton’s Koreatown has grown around H Mart on Old Denton Road. Dallas Koreatown on Royal Lane was officially designated in 2023. Ulta and Sephora cover the best-known names.
Format gap
None of these is built for meeting a brand you have never heard of, with someone there to explain it.
So the question we went to answer was narrower than “does Dallas like K-beauty.” It was whether people would show up in person for brands they did not already know.
How the event was built
Four decisions shaped the weekend.
Free RSVP entry.
Registration gave us a forecast and a contact list before the doors opened.
Creators first.
A creator-only evening ran the day before the public opening, so content was already circulating when the line formed.
A gift station with a constraint.
Six brands shared one station and each guest could choose only two. The limit made people compare, and every choice told the brands something about preference.
A buyers’ evening inside the consumer event.
Retail buyers, distributors and press met the brands at a private cocktail hour on Friday night, with the day’s turnout as context.
Thirteen brands took part. Every booth had open testers and staff who knew the products.
What the results showed
RSVPs under-forecast a first market.
We planned for 1,500 and received more than 3,000. With no comparable event in the city, we had no baseline to correct against.
Unfamiliar brands converted.
Most of the line-up was new to this audience, and several partners sold out. Name recognition was not the constraint. Access was.
Diagnostics held attention.
The skin and scalp clinic by WellBIZ ran an AI skin analysis and a scalp reading, then matched products to the result. It stayed busy all weekend. A recommendation with a reason behind it outperforms a recommendation alone.
Creators asked product questions.
Creators came from Dallas and the central U.S. They filmed, and they also asked about ingredients, routines and where to restock. That is the behavior of an informed audience, not a curious one.
Demand reached beyond the city.
Since the event we have had requests to return to Dallas and to bring the format to Houston.
What we would change
- Timed entry. A four-hour line is evidence of demand and a poor experience for the person standing in it.
- Stock for the high scenario. Selling out early costs sales and costs data on what would have sold next.
- A larger footprint with workshops. 2,500 sq. ft. was too small for this turnout, and our next pop-ups will pair brand booths with hands-on sessions.
Weighing a market beyond LA and New York
Four questions we now ask before choosing a city.
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1
Is there an established Korean retail base? It signals an audience and makes logistics easier.
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2
Do national retailers already carry the category there? That means awareness exists and the gap is in newer brands.
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3
Are local creators covering beauty? They decide whether a weekend event is seen by 3,000 people or 300,000.
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4
Can you test for a weekend before committing to a retailer? Three days of sales and questions are cheaper than a failed listing.
Next: Atlanta
Dallas was the first test of this format outside Los Angeles. Atlanta is the second.
Where can I buy K-beauty in Dallas?
Start with Carrollton Koreatown or Dallas Koreatown. Both have Korean beauty shops we love browsing ourselves, and Ulta and Sephora carry the bigger names. Looking for the newer brands you met at Bloom Haus? We ship them from kollab-la.com :)
What was Bloom Haus Dallas?
Our very first pop-up outside LA! Three days, 13 Korean beauty brands and a lot of flowers at 1451 Wycliff Ave in Dallas, from June 18 to 20, 2026.
How can a K-beauty brand join a KOLLAB pop-up?
We would love to hear from you. You can take your own booth or share the gift station with other brands. Send us a note through kollab-la.com and we will tell you which cities are next.
Is KOLLAB coming back to Texas?
We really hope so :) Dallas and Houston have both asked us, and we are looking at it seriously.
What is KOLLAB?
We are a team in Downtown Los Angeles that brings Korean beauty and lifestyle brands to U.S. cities through pop-ups, workshops and brand launches. Come say hi!