Growing up in South Korea, Chang worked in coffee shops. So when he emigrated to California in 1981 at age 18, he figured Hot Cup of Joe would be his ticket to the American dream. Flashy Mercedes-Benz's and BMW's changed his mind. He noticed that the people who drove the nicest cars were all in the garment business. Realizing the potential in garment business, Chang opened and his wife used $11,000 in savings to open a 900 sq-foot clothing store in Los Angeles's Highland Park neighborhood in 1984, calling it Fashion 21. As sales took off and the clientele grew beyond the Korean American community, he changed the name to Forever 21. Other stores soon followed in the U.S. and overseas, including one in the Seoul neighborhood of Myung-Dong, where Chang grew up.