Design Stores
Hanji Handmade Paper and Gifts
Hanji Handmade Paper and Gifts is a petite little shop straddling Koreatown and the Annex. Inside, there are soft touches of olive green on the walls, juxtaposed by colours, shapes, and textures beaming off handmade Korean products lining the store's perimeter. It's a mom & pop in every sense, owned by husband and wife Hyun Suk and Catherine Choi.
I meet Hyun Suk at the door and am quickly introduced to Catherine, who is arranging bits of cards and stationery on the section's lowest shelf. We get to chatting and Hyun Suk ducks out of the store for a few minutes, Catherine telling me with a smile that, "He's still a little shy about English."
The two met with Catherine was teaching English in Korea in 2009. They got engaged after Catherine moved back to Canada and made the decision to open their own store not long thereafter (though Catherine still works another job).
"There was this neighbourhood In Seoul," Catherine says when I ask her about her inspiration for Hanji. "And there you would find just such beautiful things. Beautiful handmade pieces by local artists."
"Well," she continues, "when I came back here I couldn't find anything like it. So I thought we could bring some of it here."
Hyun Suk, an artist himself, did a lot of the personal connecting with Korean artists and has sourced a collection of handmade paper lamps, cards, books, and more for the shop named for the Korean word for handmade mulberry paper.
Hyuan Suk returns to the store and the pair show me around the space, pointing out their favourite products. "These lamps are really cool," Catherine says, walking towards the lineup on the store's west wall. "They're all made from one artist, and all made out of paper--even the bases." Indeed, a light touch reveals that they are, in fact, paper, though I don't think a gust of wind will necessarily blow them over.
"They're actually quite sturdy," Catherine says of the lamps, which range in price from $59.95 to $299.95. "And the switches are right here," she says, tapping a little metal ball on the lamps' bases. "They go on and off with a tap." Like the first time I saw an automatic soap dispenser, I'm mesmerized. Simple pleasures.
We next move onto the assortment of paper, which starts at $3.50 (basic tissue) per sheet. Catherine and Hyuan Suk point out their favourites, which include printed leaf ($9.00) and handmade mulberry swirl ($13.00) designs. Not everything at Hanji is made of paper, though the handmade ceramic mugs, candle holders, and mother-of-pearl mirrors are still made in Korea.
Hanji itself has a strong DIY vibe, with lots of ribbons, ties, and papers for various projects. Its book-making materials, which include everything from printed covers to pre-bound pages, metal corners and necessary pliers, have proven to be a big hit. Catherine says they're thinking of setting up a book-making table and perhaps hosting some workshops in the future. Before leaving the shop Catherine and Hyuan Suk make of note of telling me that all gifts are wrapped free of charge, and needless to say, Hanji has an abundance of options.
Photos by Nick Warzin
Discussion
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I think the neighborhood needed something like this!
I, myself, am looking forward to the next time I'm in the neighborhood so I can make it a point to check out what looks like a very beautiful space.
This stuff is dirt cheap, even with importing it in.
Go on Etsy.com, and buy this stuff for a quarter of the price directly from the source ... and pay $2.00 for shipping.
Bypass the middle man if you're into supporting foreign biz from Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, etc.
First I would like to say thank you to Robyn Urback for writing such a delightful article about our shop. It was a pleasure meeting you, and Hyun Suk and I think you captured the essence of our little shop quite well.
I would like to confirm that we order all our goods from Korea and a lot of them are handmade by Korean artists who are excited to be able to share their handmade products with you.
It has been so exciting to meet everyone who has come through our doors and appreciate any comment made about what we are up to. We have thoroughly enjoyed searching for all of the goods that we sell and are even more thrilled to gear our search based on feedback and suggestions.
We wish you all a very happy new year!
Cheers
Catherine Choi
HA!
I find it funny how many people comment and complain about prices in "mom & pop shops". First of all, without a doubt you have purchased something from a large store in the past few years, a dollar store, a walmart, a mall, whatever.
The difference with these small family-run stores is they do not get the same bulk discounts as large chains. The profits are not the same. Surely the couple is not jet-setting around the world on the profits from this store. As you can read, Catherine still works another job.
I am sure that there are similar products indeed made in China, as there are Chinese versions of everything. If the shop owners are dealing with Korean artists and distributors, then either you accept to enjoy the retail experience or you live with your paranoia and stop shopping in retail stores.
Also, the overhead costs are much more astronomical for a store front than an etsy shop. Rent, decor, furniture, staff, utilities, taxes, graffiti repairs, supplies etc..
Go to a shop if you want an in-shop experience.
If you want to order stuff online, go online.
From what I read, the customer experience is lovely, and having all these products rounded up together is another perk of shopping in a store.
Thanks,
Jon
Did not have enough time to browse, but will be back again.
Sure you can find cheap stuff online. China copies everything and looses value along the way making everything feel cheap and worthless. But you don't get the experience. Sometimes price isn't everything. I drove to this shop from Hamilton, just for the experience. I adore this shop.
For some stuff prices were actually way cheaper than I found them online. for example leaf shape post-it notes online were $10. Here they were $3.95.
Sure enough with all the different stuff I bought I almost spent $100. lol.
I am definitely coming back to it. I love supporting small shops. Hopefully their business will last a long time.
btw- no one there is my cousin.
As for the haters - no one is forcing you to shop there. So go back to shopping online and leave the happy, artistic people who enjoy in-store experiences alone :)
Happy Holidays everyone.