Captivating readers around the world with delicate pen drawings
A new work by author Im Kyung-mi of 'Hole Shop' after three years!
A hole-in-the-wall shop that opens every day,
Warm support for those who silently go about their daily lives.

A new work by author Lee Mi-kyung, who received attention from various media outlets in Korea and abroad, including the BBC, with her first book, “The Days of a Hole-in-the-Wall Shop Where We Were Happy with Just One Coin,” after three years.
From Haenam, the southernmost tip of the land, to Mokpo, Goesan, Incheon, Chuncheon, Gapyeong, Mungyeong, Jinhae, Tongyeong, Jeju, and Seoul, I visited stores that were still open, and told the stories of hole-in-the-wall shops and their owners with new drawings and deeper writing.


If the previous work captured the fading story of "yesterday" while reviving memories of the days spent with the hole-in-the-wall shop, "The Hole-in-the-wall Shop, Open Today" goes a step further and vividly depicts the "today" story of people who still live quietly, keeping their place.
As you read the warm text, which makes you feel as if you are listening to the story of the elderly owner along with the author, and look at the delicate illustrations that show the most beautiful aspects of the simple shop, you feel as if you are entering the shop in the book.
For readers who really want to get out and visit the shops, the 42 open shops are marked with their locations next to the pictures, so you can find a nearby shop.
Artist Im Kyung-mi hopes that more people will visit the hole-in-the-wall shop, buy a drink or a snack, and exchange greetings to add warmth, and that it will be cherished and coexist with us so that it will not disappear from our side but will be with us for a long time.
Additionally, this book has been designed with the proportions of the drawings in mind to convey the detailed pen drawings more vividly, and is printed on high-quality paper that can clearly express the artist's colors and pen lines, thereby enhancing the impression of the work and its collection value.

When I think back to the days when I used to go out looking for small shops, there were oasis-like small shops in every quiet countryside and on the outskirts of bustling city centers.
There, the empty space in my heart was soon comforted and filled with warmth again.
I hope that this will be an opportunity for me to reflect on myself through the stories of life told by the hole-in-the-wall shops and elderly owners I've encountered so far.
---From "Prologue_Finding a hole-in-the-wall shop that's still open today"

“I’m glad the store isn’t being torn down, but I’m worried that if more convenient, cleaner, and more expensive buildings are built, the store will look shabby.
Even if an apartment complex is built, I wonder if people coming and going by car through the underground parking lot will even notice the small hole-in-the-wall store on the street.
I don't even wish for business to get better.
“It’s fortunate that there’s a constant stream of customers coming to the store because it’s on the way to the park, but I hope it stays that way for at least a little while.”
---From "Jeongdaun Super"

To me, this small shop looks as upright and dignified as any cultural heritage site.
Among the flowers blooming in abundance in each flower pot, I could feel the diligent hands of the elderly owner, and among the trees boasting thick, lush leaves that made them perfect hiding places, I could guess that yellow caterpillars were crawling somewhere and that they were also nesting birds.
People passing by also feel happy because of the greenery and leisurely atmosphere.
I find the small daily routine of watering and caring for plants to be precious.
When I recall that sincerity, repeated every day, my heart feels a great comfort.
---From "In Chilseong-myeon"

The words of the lady, who casually asked a stranger who had come from far away whether he had eaten or whether he should sleep at her house next time, were incredibly heartwarming.
The rough fingertips that held my hand as they bid me farewell conveyed a strong and solid life.
The woman's hands seem to speak of the time she spent diligently living each day, working on the farm and running the store all her life.
---From "Daeyul Bus Stop Store"

Unlike the convenience stores in the city that appear and disappear easily depending on the situation, Buheung Supermarket has become an inseparable part of the grandmother's life.
I am drawing a hole-in-the-wall shop that contains the past, present, and future.
That endearing charm has already become a part of my life, almost like fate.
---From "Revival Super"

The Yeonhwa Supermarket in the painting has a green gate, a red mailbox, wooden chairs, and simple items lined up on yellow shelves, sparkling like flowers in the spring sunlight.
Surrounded by spring flowers, the shop feels secluded from the world, reminiscent of a small cabin built on the shores of Walden Pond.
I hope that the road to the hole-in-the-wall store will become a time of respite from the harshness of life.
---From "Yeonhwa Super"

The hole-in-the-wall paintings go beyond mere records and archives, asking questions about how we can embrace and coexist across eras and cultures.
We hope that those who cherish these small shops and wish for them to be preserved so that they will no longer disappear from our side will gather together and contribute even a small amount of strength. Now, with that hope as the pillar, we are opening the Seed Store that we have been saving up for so long.

---From "Epilogue_A small but classy hole-in-the-wall shop, can't we stay together for a long time?"