Across the street from Amorepacific is a small shop with a captivating green signboard, and people can’t seem to stay away from it. It is none other than Delta Store, celebrating its 30th anniversary on May 10, 2023. Even after 30 years and five rel𝗈𝖼𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇s, Delta Store continues to diligently serve the Sinyongsan area, thanks to its dedicated owner, Mr. Gil Jong-gwan.

I started my career as a salesperson. At the time, I worked at Seoul Food's Koala Bread division. Mass-produced bread was very popular then. As I gained experience, I was assigned to manage the entire Yongsan area, which had around 20-25 clients. One of them was 'Delta corner shop,' which was located near the back entrance of the LS Building. It was a very small, so-called "mom-and-pop" store, but it did well because there were no convenience stores at that time. After managing this area for about three years, the owner approached me and asked if I would like to take over the store because he found it too difficult to continue. He was over 70 years old at the time. I decided to quit my job as a salesperson and moved to Yongsan to take over the store.

Of course. He was one of our clients, so it was important for me to maintain a good relationship with him. We met every day, had coffee, and talked about all sorts of things. He had two sons, whom I was also close with, but neither of them wanted to take over his father’s business because it was too much work. (laughs)

I would be lying if I said I didn’t. I was twenty eight then, pretty young some would say. My colleagues tried to talk me out of it, saying I’m not old enough to run my own business. But I had witnessed firsthand how the market for mass production bread was becoming smaller and smaller. I didn’t think the future looked bright, not to mention I wasn’t too happy with the money I was making. Doing sales for my own business, running my own business sounded much more fun and profitable. I took over Delta Store with the money I had saved up over the 5 years I was working at the company and with some help from my parents. Looking back, I have no regrets. It was the right decision.

Back then, Yongsan was a backward area, almost to the extent that you had a hard time believing this was part of Seoul. There were tile-roofed houses that were on the verge of crumbling, and I also lived in a tile-roofed house. I guess being near the U.S. military base made it harder for the area to be developed. There were no tall buildings, and it was definitely not the lively town that it is now. But being a transportation hub, the town eventually began to undergo development, and with big companies like Amorepacific coming to the area, it became more populated.

The hardest part is definitely the fact that I have to tend the shop from early morning until late at night, from 7:30 AM to 10 PM, to be exact. I wake up at 7, arrive here by 7:30, spend the entire day here before going home at 10, and go to bed at 11.

At least I get Sundays off. I know some shop owners who don’t even get a single day off. I open the store even when I’m feeling a little under the weather. Thankfully, I was never too sick, so there has not been one day when I had to close the shop because I was feeling ill. What I learned as a shop owner is that customers don’t come if you don’t stick to your business hours. If someone comes only to discover that the shop is closed, there is a very good chance that she won’t come back again, which is why I try my best to be punctual when it comes to business hours. I don’t want my customers coming here on a fool’s errand.
That is also why I open the shop on Saturdays. I have some regulars who come only on Saturdays. It’s like our unspoken promise. Unless you keep those unspoken promises, customers will find elsewhere to buy the things they need.

As soon as I come in to work, I organize the products and welcome customers. One thing I never forget to do is keep up with sports-related news. Since the shop sells Sports Toto, I believe it’s one of my jobs to have some knowledge about sports just in case customers ask about it. I check the game schedules daily, and find out who’s playing and who’s not due to injuries. I also watch a lot of games, both Korean and international. Thanks to that, I’m quite familiar with both Korean and NBA players.

Five times, to be exact. I was asked to vacate the shop when I initially took it over because the building was old and had to be remodeled. The owner of the building told me he would let me know when the remodeling was done, but with convenience stores. So, I had to relocate. I had run the shop for three years at the new l𝗈𝖼𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 when I had to relocate again to this area near Amorepacific due to redevelopment. After that, the building owner changed, and the shop ended up in its current l𝗈𝖼𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇.

Nothing in particular. I think all I can do is just run my business as I have been doing and keep the doors open for my customers.

When I initially started, beverages and cigarettes were our best sellers. Then, with all the other convenience stores opening nearby, the shop faced some struggles. In 2002, ‘Lotto’ came out, which turned out to be a game changer. With prize money exceeding 40 billion won, there were days when I didn’t even have time to eat because people were lining up to buy lottery tickets. In 2006, I started selling Sports Toto tickets, which sports enthusiasts love. So now, our best sellers are cigarettes, Lotto, and Toto.

‘Family,’ more than anything. I have three children, and thanks to Delta Store, I was able to support them financially, sending all of them to college and marrying off my son. But I owe everything to my wife’s dedication. There wouldn’t be a Delta Store had it not been for my wife, who never forgot to pack me lunch and dinner and raised the three children while I was busy tending the shop every day. What helped me stay motivated was the thought that I had to provide for my family.

These days, happiness to me isn’t anything fancy. It’s being able to live a normal life. Driving out to the suburbs with my family on the weekends, eating out occasionally… just those everyday moments. For my birthday this year, my kids had this cake made, with the message ‘You are the lottery of our family.’ Seeing that made me so happy. I am grateful that we are all healthy, and I’m grateful for having such amazing kids, which is why I try my best to spend as much time with my family as possible when I’m not working.

There are some who have been coming to our store since the company’s Taepyeongyang years. They usually come to buy cigarettes, and because I have known them for years, I find what they are looking for even without them asking. Sometimes, some of them leave the cigarette they bought on the counter, forgetting to take it with them. I remember to put it on the side and give it to them when they next come.

Simply put, my ‘neighbor.’ When the company temporarily relocated to Euljiro, I couldn’t wait for it to relocate back to Yongsan, so I was very glad when it finally did. I don’t believe this shop would have survived had it not been for Amorepacific, and by that I mean its employees, clients and partners who come from other areas for meetings, and even visitors who come to this area because Amorepacific has somewhat revitalized the town. So yes, Amorepacific is a neighbor I’m grateful to have.

I relocated to where the shop is now last year, and if I have to relocate again, I probably will have to close the shop permanently. If that’s not the case, I would like to keep running the shop here for another 10 years, as the guardian angel of Sinyongsan.