Working single-mindedly for decades:
The story of Park Seong-ju, owner of Daeheung Paints in Seoul
The father has worked in the paint industry for 45 years, but still feels as shy as a boy when he is asked to smile for the camera. His son, born and raised in Cheonho-dong, a neighborhood of Seoul, has no qualms about opening up. The father-son duo make Daeheung Paints an energetic and inviting community salon in Cheonho-dong.
Hard work paves the way for
dreaming up the next chapter
Park Hyeong-un, the founder and original owner of Daeheung Paints, used to run two stores in Seoul, one in Mapo and the other in Cheonho, for years. He closed down the store in Mapo and merged his assets with the store in Cheonho, having decided to run it with his son.
Hard work is the central motto at Daeheung. Everyone, owners and staff members, is expected to arrive at work by 6 o’clock every morning. The store remains open until 8 p.m. on weekdays. The father wanted nothing more for his son than that he learn the importance of hard work. Yet he was reluctant to make his son move heavy paint cans, some weighing up to 25 kilograms, to the rooftop of the building, so the father did much of the heavy work until recently.
Like the father, though, the son works hard without being told and without ever complaining. “It’s been three years since he’s been working full time here,” Park says. “I never hear him complain.” That’s the best compliment a taciturn father could give his son.
Park Seong-ju, who is now official owner of the store and who has just turned 30, has been working there day and night, taking seriously the responsibility of supporting his family. “I have friends who have found jobs at big companies, but I don’t envy them. This kind of work pays off in proportion to the amount of effort you put in. I can do all the hard work because I have clear goals I’d like to meet. I’m still young, unlike my parents, so I should not be complaining already.”
Now into the third year of running the store, Seong-ju strives to raise its annual sales to KRW 1 billion in revenue. He has been making a variety of efforts to that end, launching an online store and actively networking with a clientele that is undergoing a generational change now and growing younger. He still has a lot to learn from his father, a paint expert of 45 years, and the father and son get into heated arguments from time to time because of their different approaches to business.
“We do get into arguments sometimes, especially when we’re busy and tired. But we’re family; fights never last long because we understand each other. Yes, my father and I see things differently at times, but I still cannot do this without his help. In this industry, you get a lot of elderly clients. My father is much smoother in dealing with them than I am. I’m still learning from him.”
Hyeong-un is always eager to impart every bit of his knowledge and expertise to his son. The son certainly appreciates the kind of hardships and challenges his father went through to bring the business to this level. Since he left his hometown to work at his older brother’s paint store on Ulji-ro 7-ga in Seoul until he finally opened his own business in Daeheung as an official Samhwa distributor, Hyeong-un has been working hard “single-mindedly,” as his wife would be the first to say. The son is learning not just his father’s knowledge, but also the weight of being the main breadwinner.
A community salon
Seong-ju was born in Cheonho-dong and has never left the neighborhood for long. Daeheung Paints has thus become a community salon of sorts here. The majority of visitors are friends and acquaintances of Seong-ju. These visitors take the time to visit the store regularly, and the store owner makes sure they feel welcome. Seong-ju thinks that he might need help some day, and that the good relations he has built with his neighbors and friends will come back to help him. “This isn’t just about selling paints. I enjoy spending time with these regulars. They can bring in good business sometimes.”
Seong-ju is proud of the fact that Daeheung has become a gathering spot for locals. His parents couldn’t agree more. “Seong-ju spends a lot of time networking with the second-generation owners of other paint stores and other young entrepreneurs as well. They help each other, exchange ideas, and try new things that we adults never dared to think when we were their age. I’m so proud of these young people,” says Kim Mi-sun, Seong-ju’s mother.
Mi-sun is of course grateful to her husband and son. The business can go through ups and downs, and all she wants is for them to stay healthy. She was initially skeptical and upset with her husband years ago, when he opened the other Daeheung store in Mapo and signed a distributorship contract with Samhwa without knowing much about the company or its products. Thanks to the quality of Samhwa’s products and Hyeong-un’s hard work, Daeheung has been growing consistently since then. Mi-sun is thankful to Samhwa now. Both Hyeong-un and his older brother, who was selling paints before him, chose Samhwa when they could. Hyeong-un was willing to open another store in Mapo precisely because he was given the chance to run a distributorship there. All paint sellers have known for decades that Samhwa produces the best paints in Korea.
Hyeong-un, who has had a deep sense of indebtedness to his wife all their life together, finally and quietly whispers to her: “Thank you.” Mi-sun tears up. Seong-ju’s goal is to do right by his hardworking parents and help them spend their old age in comfort by ensuring the success of his business. “I want to earn KRW 1 billion a year from the store not for me, but for my parents. They’ve worked so hard and so long that they haven’t been able to enjoy many good things in life. I wish I could run this store alone so that they can spend their retirement in comfort.” The parents look at their son with much pride and joy in their eyes.
Core items
Color-mixing systems
“These machines are perhaps the most valuable assets in my family. It’s impossible to run a paint store without a color mixer. I own two of them, including the one we brought back from the Mapo store. These machines have sustained our family business to this day. They make me proud.”
Calculator
“This is just a simple calculator, nothing fancy, but I feel grateful for it. I have memories of sorting my receipts and invoices using this calculator after store hours. The people I met while using it are still regular patrons here.”
Working single-mindedly for decades:
The story of Park Seong-ju, owner of Daeheung Paints in Seoul
The father has worked in the paint industry for 45 years, but still feels as shy as a boy when he is asked to smile for the camera. His son, born and raised in Cheonho-dong, a neighborhood of Seoul, has no qualms about opening up. The father-son duo make Daeheung Paints an energetic and inviting community salon in Cheonho-dong.
Hard work paves the way for
dreaming up the next chapter
Park Hyeong-un, the founder and original owner of Daeheung Paints, used to run two stores in Seoul, one in Mapo and the other in Cheonho, for years. He closed down the store in Mapo and merged his assets with the store in Cheonho, having decided to run it with his son.
Hard work is the central motto at Daeheung. Everyone, owners and staff members, is expected to arrive at work by 6 o’clock every morning. The store remains open until 8 p.m. on weekdays. The father wanted nothing more for his son than that he learn the importance of hard work. Yet he was reluctant to make his son move heavy paint cans, some weighing up to 25 kilograms, to the rooftop of the building, so the father did much of the heavy work until recently.
Like the father, though, the son works hard without being told and without ever complaining. “It’s been three years since he’s been working full time here,” Park says. “I never hear him complain.” That’s the best compliment a taciturn father could give his son.
Park Seong-ju, who is now official owner of the store and who has just turned 30, has been working there day and night, taking seriously the responsibility of supporting his family. “I have friends who have found jobs at big companies, but I don’t envy them. This kind of work pays off in proportion to the amount of effort you put in. I can do all the hard work because I have clear goals I’d like to meet. I’m still young, unlike my parents, so I should not be complaining already.”
Now into the third year of running the store, Seong-ju strives to raise its annual sales to KRW 1 billion in revenue. He has been making a variety of efforts to that end, launching an online store and actively networking with a clientele that is undergoing a generational change now and growing younger. He still has a lot to learn from his father, a paint expert of 45 years, and the father and son get into heated arguments from time to time because of their different approaches to business.
“We do get into arguments sometimes, especially when we’re busy and tired. But we’re family; fights never last long because we understand each other. Yes, my father and I see things differently at times, but I still cannot do this without his help. In this industry, you get a lot of elderly clients. My father is much smoother in dealing with them than I am. I’m still learning from him.”
Hyeong-un is always eager to impart every bit of his knowledge and expertise to his son. The son certainly appreciates the kind of hardships and challenges his father went through to bring the business to this level. Since he left his hometown to work at his older brother’s paint store on Ulji-ro 7-ga in Seoul until he finally opened his own business in Daeheung as an official Samhwa distributor, Hyeong-un has been working hard “single-mindedly,” as his wife would be the first to say. The son is learning not just his father’s knowledge, but also the weight of being the main breadwinner.
A community salon
Seong-ju was born in Cheonho-dong and has never left the neighborhood for long. Daeheung Paints has thus become a community salon of sorts here. The majority of visitors are friends and acquaintances of Seong-ju. These visitors take the time to visit the store regularly, and the store owner makes sure they feel welcome. Seong-ju thinks that he might need help some day, and that the good relations he has built with his neighbors and friends will come back to help him. “This isn’t just about selling paints. I enjoy spending time with these regulars. They can bring in good business sometimes.”
Seong-ju is proud of the fact that Daeheung has become a gathering spot for locals. His parents couldn’t agree more. “Seong-ju spends a lot of time networking with the second-generation owners of other paint stores and other young entrepreneurs as well. They help each other, exchange ideas, and try new things that we adults never dared to think when we were their age. I’m so proud of these young people,” says Kim Mi-sun, Seong-ju’s mother.
Mi-sun is of course grateful to her husband and son. The business can go through ups and downs, and all she wants is for them to stay healthy. She was initially skeptical and upset with her husband years ago, when he opened the other Daeheung store in Mapo and signed a distributorship contract with Samhwa without knowing much about the company or its products. Thanks to the quality of Samhwa’s products and Hyeong-un’s hard work, Daeheung has been growing consistently since then. Mi-sun is thankful to Samhwa now. Both Hyeong-un and his older brother, who was selling paints before him, chose Samhwa when they could. Hyeong-un was willing to open another store in Mapo precisely because he was given the chance to run a distributorship there. All paint sellers have known for decades that Samhwa produces the best paints in Korea.
Hyeong-un, who has had a deep sense of indebtedness to his wife all their life together, finally and quietly whispers to her: “Thank you.” Mi-sun tears up. Seong-ju’s goal is to do right by his hardworking parents and help them spend their old age in comfort by ensuring the success of his business. “I want to earn KRW 1 billion a year from the store not for me, but for my parents. They’ve worked so hard and so long that they haven’t been able to enjoy many good things in life. I wish I could run this store alone so that they can spend their retirement in comfort.” The parents look at their son with much pride and joy in their eyes.
Core items
Color-mixing systems
“These machines are perhaps the most valuable assets in my family. It’s impossible to run a paint store without a color mixer. I own two of them, including the one we brought back from the Mapo store. These machines have sustained our family business to this day. They make me proud.”
Calculator
“This is just a simple calculator, nothing fancy, but I feel grateful for it. I have memories of sorting my receipts and invoices using this calculator after store hours. The people I met while using it are still regular patrons here.”
Wall paint
친환경 벽지 페인트
