A couple of months ago, we took a trip to Agana and found ourselves traveling to what would’ve been our ultimate teenage dream hangout. Picture this: a second-floor walk-up with skater and surf shop vibes, color-coordinated rows of clothing hung up on industrial racks, 80s and 90s paraphernalia, classic vinyl records, and an old-school box TV with alternative/rock music videos on a loop. Yes, it’s like walking onto the set of Nickelodeon’s All That giving us those 90s throwback feels. To top it all off, we were in the company of Hana Johnston and Jordan Hardy, the duo behind Guam’s music blog, Binary Sunset, who also have their own entrepreneurial ventures.
Good Lookin Out, a curated thrift store, is run by Johnston, a former engineer whose sharp eye for fashion led her to open the brick-and-mortar store. With the help of her cousin in LA, Johnston travels to the States and thrifts timeless pieces that she brings back home. Coming up on five years, Johnston sat with us to share all the thrifting goodies.
Meet Hana Johnston, Owner of Good Lookin’ Out
How it started: After earning her degree in civil engineering, Johnston made her way from the bay area to the vibrant city of Los Angeles. Here, her focus shifted towards nurturing and expanding her fashion brand, Higher Culture, a venture she had dedicated seven years to crafting and developing. After coming across some hurdles, she decided to close the chapter to Higher Culture and acquired the IG handle @goodlookinout in 2012. Little did she know that this handle would eventually become the name of her future business.
How it went: Not knowing what her next steps were, Johnston went on a search. One day, she stepped inside a skate shop and purchased two shirts. Not thinking much of it, she posted the shirts online and was flooded with inquiries. The shirts instantly sold, and that’s when she knew she was onto something. Following that itch, she started scouting other thrift stores in LA and posted them to her IG – GoodLookinOut. Although her account did well, she eventually returned home and got an engineering job.
Turning Point: While working, Johnston’s desire to return to fashion and entrepreneurship was prevalent. In 2018, she flew back to the U.S. and found a curated shop in San Jose, CA. Inspired by the homey look and feel of the store, she decided to open her first brick-and-motor store.
How it’s going: January 2024 would mark FIVE YEARS for Good Lookin Out! Johnston currently runs the shop with the help of her cousin, who lives in LA. She continues to travel back and forth, curating new collections.
Record Bay EST 2020
Fueled by a deep passion for music, owner Jordan Hardy was inspired to start Record Bay after hearing that his family previously owned a record store in the 70s. Since 2020, Record Bay has been Guam’s hub for vinyl records, carrying various Japanese imported records, Hawaiian records curated by Aloha Got Soul, and local originals, including Fat Tofu’s newest release, ”Patis.”
“There’s no one doing it here. The mall used to do it, so I kind of wanted to try to bring that back. Initially, I first started with used records. Ronnie Perez, he was a huge collector because he’s a DJ and has been collecting since the 90s. One day, he invited me to his place because he was selling some, and that was the first batch that I began to sell,” – Jordan Hardy
Check out the awesome collection at Good Lookin Out!
