About Us

The Name.

‘GuGwa’ is a combination of words meaning ‘Nine Fruits'. For us, this means a coming together of ideas and virtues to create a whole.

Our Mission.

Serving only the best boutique Korean and Korean-American products designed by artisans from across the globe to the Chicago-area. We’ve hand-selected a variety of premium items ranging from clothes and jewelry to kids toys that we want to introduce through the limited-time GuGwa online store. Our passion is to share items, customs, and ideas across cultural boundaries. At GuGwa behind each item is an artist who brings a unique perspective to their product. No matter who you are, the GuGwa online store has something new for you to discover.

Where we Started.

We started as photographers in Ravenswood, Chicago. Our original studio continues its operations in the same neighborhood offering both Wedding/Engagement and Family/Baby photography through our two companies: Studio Soo and Chicago Baby. As we continue to provide the finest photography and videography services in the city, GuGwa is the next step in our journey of expanding our services to encompass  new ventures. 

Where we're Going. 

Boutique photography services in our brand new studio are on the way. Opening first as an online store, Gugwa plans to open the doors of our in-person physical shop in 2022. Experience a wide range of services in our Glenview studio ranging from exclusive merchandise for your shopping pleasure to state-of-the-art photo booths and portrait photography. While we love the accessibility of online stores, our true passion is providing face-to-face experiences for anyone who walks in our doors. We hope to see you there when we open!