owner, Little Miss Korea
Lobynn Gallo is the owner of Little Miss Korea in the Allentown Fairgrounds Farmers Market. Little Miss Korea has been open for nearly four years. There was formerly a second location in the Downtown Allentown Market, which was open for two and a half years and just closed this past February. Gallo, originally from the Poconos, is currently living in Bethlehem and has lived in the Lehigh Valley for seven years. She shared initial struggles with kickstarting her business.
“I waited about 10 months, and I called them back and I said, ‘Hey, I’m wondering if there’s anything else open. And the stand that I’m currently at was open and for sale. And honestly, it was a really smooth transition, I was open within one month.
“I wouldn’t change anything about it as it is right now. But perhaps… just a little bit more exposure about the market because I feel like a lot of young people and people who are under 35 don’t know about the farmers market, and they should. And it’s such a great place to shop, and it’s such a great place to eat.
“I love the community that the restaurant group has… anybody who operates or works in the hospitality industry, we all kind of know each other. And we all give each other some type of support and advice, which is really nice. Most of the time, it’s very genuine. And I really have grown a lot from the other advice that I’ve gotten over the years.
“I never got into the restaurant industry before I even opened up my stand. I was not well versed in the kitchen, I was not well versed in anything hospitality, and I just jumped into it. So to have this type of relative success that I’ve had, and to know that I have a good rapport with all these customers that I have is truly a blessing. And I definitely want to say thank you to all my repeating customers and people that are willing to give me another chance if something goes wrong or whatnot.”
Interview by Cydney Wilson ’23
