‘Beautiful Store’ Aims to Make Beautiful World by Sharing


By Kim Cheong-won
Staff Reporter


What is beauty?

There are many definitions. Some say beauty is only skin deep while others claim it is nothing less than a sensed image of the infinite. For Beautiful Store, however, beauty is sharing and recycling.



Hwang Ae-lie, left, a warehouse volunteer, moves donated goods to a storehouse with warehouse manager Jin Sung-won at the Beautiful Store in Changanpyong, northeastern Seoul.

``The store wants to be a place for sharing and recycling, where old items are reused and recreated for someone else and profits go toward helping our neighbors in need,’’ Jin Sung-won, a staff member of the store’s main warehouse, said in an interview with The Korea Times.
``We would like to bring new life back to all secondhand goods and give hope to those in need of our caring hands. That’s what the store works for,’’ the 28-year-old added.

Beautiful Store, the country’s first charity retail chain run on public donations, opened its first store near Insa-dong, downtown Seoul in 2002.

Ever since its opening, the store has enjoyed huge popularity due to its wide range of secondhand goods at affordable prices.

Most donated items are sent first to two warehouses _ one in Changanpyong, northeastern Seoul, and the other in Anyang, Kyonggi Province. Jin is working at the Changanpyong warehouse as a manager.

``This warehouse plays an important role. We collect donated goods and deliver them to our stores. It’s like a heart which pumps blood to every part of a body,’’ he explained.

He made up his mind to work at the organization because he wanted to help others.

``I went to Baghdad in Iraq in 2003 as a member of Global Care, an international charity organization, to help children there. After the three-week experience in Iraq, I thought I want to help others in my country as well,’’ he said.

Items are collected in several ways.

First, people can simply bring in items to Beautiful Store branches across the nation or drop them off at the boxes located at the stores.

Donors can also use the free parcel service for up to five boxes, by simply calling (02) 3676-1004. Those with more than six boxes to donate can use the free pickup service by calling 1688-5004.

In addition, the shops’ volunteers visit apartment complexes, schools and hospitals to pick up goods. The store runs three types of vehicles: the ``Fun Bus,’’ the ``Mobile Store’’ and ``Green Santa,’’ designed to provide entertainment for children.

After being cleaned and repaired, the donated secondhand products are ready for sale.

The public donates a variety of goods ranging from barrettes, clothing, CDs and books to large items such as dish washers, furniture and various electronic appliances. Collected items are stored in the 200-pyong (660-square-meter) warehouse before being delivered to stores and sold at 10 to 30 percent of their original value.

``Here, unused goods are transformed into items which others happily buy, facilitating the recycling of resources in everyday life,’’ Jin said, adding that they also make it a rule to run the stores in an environmentally-friendly way by refusing to use vinyl and other disposable goods.

Like many other nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the store also relies heavily on volunteers, who willingly take on the hard work of transporting, classifying and repairing donated goods.

Approximately 150 volunteer ``angels’’ visit the warehouse each week on average, Jin said.

``Compared with the number of volunteers at store branches, we don’t have many volunteers as the warehouse is little known to the public,’’ he explained.

``Most donated items are in good condition. But some goods need to be repaired and cleaned before being put on the shelves. That’s what I do here mostly,’’ said Hwang Ae-lie, one of the volunteers at the warehouse, wiping the sweat pouring down her face.

Although as a university senior she has to prepare for a job, she has decided to share her time to help others.

``I will work here as a volunteer even after my graduation,’’ she said, adding that she works with a great sense of duty and passion.

Thanks to people’s contributions, the stores can make profits to help others. The store’s principle is that all profits be used to help the needy.

The shop has already benefited 383 underprivileged neighbors and 62 organizations from 320 million won ($315,000 ) profit it made in the first half of this year.

``What all these people _ staff members, donors and volunteers are doing may be small _ but I believe that these types of small changes and action can make a beautiful world,’’ Jin said.

kcw@koreatimes.co.kr