Seongbuk-gu Seokgwan-dong Merchants, Young Artists, and Customers Laugh Together... Why?

Seongbuk-gu 'Our Neighborhood Store Artterior Support Project' Praised by Merchants, Artists, and Residents... 15 Local Artists Participate to Improve Interior and Exterior Designs of 40 Alley Stores... Each Store Receives 1 Million KRW Material Support for Diverse Transformations... Beauty Salon with King Flower Painting, Cafe Filled with Greenery, Real Estate Office Creating Stylish Sunflower Business Cards

Seung-ro Lee, Mayor of Seongbuk District (right), is visiting a neighborhood shop that received exterior interior and business card design support through the 'Our Neighborhood Store Artterior Support Project' and is having a conversation with the shop owner.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Laughter continues as artists visit small neighborhood shops that had been quiet due to COVID-19.

Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Seungro Lee) has received high praise from merchants, local artists, and residents for its 'Our Neighborhood Shop Artterior Support Project.'

Artterior is a comprehensive design improvement project where local artists provide small business owners with necessary design support across various categories, such as redecorating the interior and exterior spaces of shops or creating product designs, CI, BI, and more.

This project was conducted by Seongbuk-gu from September to December to support both small business owners struggling due to COVID-19 and local artists.

Material costs of 1 million KRW per shop were supported. Fifteen local artists participated, and through the 'Our Neighborhood Shop Artterior Support Project,' 40 alleyway shops in Seongbuk-gu were revitalized.

A small business owner who received artterior support said, “After the spread of COVID-19, circumstances were difficult, and it was a mentally tough time. I applied without much expectation, wondering if anything would improve, but customers showed interest, and seeing the environment improve gave me hope and motivation.”

On the 3rd, Seongbuk-gu Mayor Seungro Lee visited the alleys of Seokgwan-dong to hear merchants’ opinions about the 'Our Neighborhood Shop Artterior Support Project.'

This area has two hair salons and one real estate office closely located together that received artterior support.

'Jo Jeong-ae Hair' worked with artist Sukyung Kim to install a protruding mini signboard and greenterior. Although the shop was on the roadside, it was not noticeable, but it renewed its image with a luxurious protruding signboard combined with plants and lighting.

Owner Jo Jeong-ae said, “It was a healing process for me.” During the difficult times of enduring COVID-19, she even experienced depression and felt more hopeless. She requested an interior design using plants to create a positive atmosphere, and the artist actively reflected the owner’s wishes by recommending greenterior and participating in the process.

Artist Kim said the most rewarding moment was hearing the owner say, “When I open the shop door in the morning and see the interior decorated with green plants, it refreshes my mind.”

Across the street, 'Mirang Cul Shinjin Hair Salon' transformed into a neighborhood hot spot with a royal flower mural. Although it has been operating in the same place for nearly 50 years, COVID-19 was unavoidable.

Owner Chunwoo Lee expected some decrease in customers but was more saddened by the sighs of regulars. Therefore, he requested an interior that could bring smiles to customers.

Artist Jihoon Min painted a royal flower on the counter, which is the first thing customers see when entering the salon. Neighbors passing by all smiled broadly upon seeing the extraordinary flower.

When Mayor Lee visited, the salon was filled with laughter. Customers immediately praised the royal flower mural as soon as the mayor greeted them.

“It’s a painting that makes you smile every time you see it. It makes both customers and the owner smile, and that’s truly good work!” they said, giving a thumbs-up.

The nearby Mirae Real Estate, close to Jo Jeong-ae Hair and Mirang Cul Shinjin Hair Salon, experienced the most noticeable change. They renovated the exterior with new signage and window film and also redesigned their business cards.

Owner Jongran Lee expressed satisfaction, saying, “Even amid the recent overheated real estate market, it’s hard for alley real estate offices to catch customers’ attention, but after replacing the old, worn-out exterior sign, more customers have come in for inquiries.”

She was especially touched by the artist’s meticulousness in painting a sunflower, which is said to bring good fortune, and creating business cards featuring it.

Artist Eunhye Lee, who worked on Mirae Real Estate’s artterior, said, “Since real estate is where ordinary people trade their greatest assets, I painted the sunflower hoping that both the owner and customers would receive much fortune.”

Seongbuk-gu Mayor Seungro Lee said, “As the pain of small business owners continues due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, we are making various efforts to support them. The artterior project, which improves the interior and exterior design of shops, is one such effort. Seeing the smiles and hope it brings to the owners and the joy it gives to customers on site makes me truly grateful as the mayor.”

He added, “The Our Neighborhood Shop Artterior Support Project also provides jobs for local artists and is a win-win project to overcome COVID-19 together. We will continue to promote various projects to overcome the pandemic.”

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