Why Seocho-gu Joins Hands with Young Artists to Revive Local Shops?

District collaborates with 10 young artists to improve design of 50 local shops including Yangjae Maljukgeori, Bangbae Cafe Alley, and Jamwon-dong Geonneo Sumukbang-gil... Fresh ideas from young artists create new art + interior and exterior effects

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[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] "I am so grateful to see young people come and work as if it were their own business. They quickly complete tasks that I wouldn't even dare to do if I had to pay for them myself. It's truly amazing, and I want to thank both the young people and the district office." - Jeon Taesoon, owner of Doraji Noodle Shop near Yangjae Station

Seocho-gu (District Mayor Eunhee Cho) has partnered with the preliminary social enterprise Cooperative Value Sharing Research Institute (Director Dooyoung Lee) to carry out the 'Our Neighborhood Store Artterior Project' with local young artists.

Since December last year, the district has been transforming a total of 50 neighborhood stores across five areas including Yangjae Maljukgeori, Bangbae Cafe Alley, and Jamwon-dong Geonneosumeokbang-gil with 10 young artists.

The Artterior Project is not simply about changing the interior and exterior appearances but about incorporating the fresh ideas of young artists to create a new form of art combined with interior and exterior design.

Of course, the Artterior Project did not proceed smoothly at first. Much time had to be spent educating people who perceived it as a simple interior renovation project to understand the concept of Artterior.

However, store owners initially kept their distance but changed their attitude to warmly welcome the young artists after recognizing their efforts. When the work was completed, they invited the artists to their stores to enjoy delicious food and drinks, expressing gratitude for their hard work.

Artist Juhee Shin, who participated in the project, said, "Filling the air conditioner hole on the store wall might seem trivial, but the store owner was pleased to see the shabby hole transformed into an artwork, which made me excited to work on it."

The district plans to expand this project, which started last year, this year. It hopes not only to improve individual stores but also to increase their sales and revitalize the streets.

Director Dooyoung Lee said, "We plan to prepare the next steps so that this project goes beyond simple store improvements and leads to increased sales. We will focus on video and promotional efforts and conduct marketing promotions for stores that apply."

Seocho District Mayor Eunhee Cho stated, "The Our Neighborhood Store Artterior Project is a meaningful initiative that creates jobs for young people and supports small business owners. We hope that small business owners and local commercial districts struggling due to COVID-19 will bear warm fruits by late spring through this project."

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This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.