Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 2, 1992 TAG: 9201030275
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES NORTH CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
NEW STORE IS IN BUSINESS TO FIT HEADS' NEEDS
Han Ja Cho has a head for business. And a lot of his business involves people's heads.Cho, who moved with his family to Roanoke from Seoul, South Korea, about six years ago, recently opened a shop specializing in wigs and hairpieces, hats, earrings, hair-care products and accessories, in the Melrose Center.
New Fashion, as the signboard reads, also carries handbags, scarves and other fashion accessories.
Style Plus, Cho's flagship store on Campbell Avenue in downtown Roanoke, has been in business for about two years.
"My brother-in-law has a similar store in Greensboro," Cho explained with the help of saleswoman/interpreter Tok Fulk. "A friend of his, who lives here, said Roanoke needed a store like this. So we looked into it and found it was true."
Running his own business is nothing new to Cho, who owned and operated an air conditioner and heater parts company in Korea. Keeping up with the constantly changing demands of retail fashion, however, presents a challenge.
Cho said his brother-in-law helps guide him. Also, he and his wife, Mun Kwang Cho, who helps him run the store, ". . . go to New York often to check the new styles there. A lot of customers ask for something, and we try to get it for them."
He said, "We have all kinds of catalogs and order books, and sometimes salespeople come to show us new things, but not too often. It's mostly from what we find and what our customers ask for."
Because his customers are so diverse, their requests cover a broad spectrum.
"We get customers of all different ages, men and women," Cho said.
The men mostly patronize the downtown store, which, unlike the new location, carries men's sports clothing.
Many of Cho's older customers, as well as some of the younger ones, want hairpieces and wigs, Cho said. Many younger ones also request extension hair for braided or weaved styles, or more recently, colored sprays to stencil designs into their hair, and mousses, gels and spritzes for spiky styles.
Cho's earring selection spans a range of prices and styles designed to appeal to everything from conservative to flashy tastes.
He also carries fingernails, nose rings and other body adornments, which are mostly favored by his younger market.
The hats and handbags are also good sellers among all age groups, he said.
His customers had a lot to do with his choosing the Melrose Center location, Cho said.
"At the place on Campbell Avenue, the parking is bad. Here, it is easy and a nice location and people can park free, he said. "Old people, especially, that ride buses, it's especially nice for them and for young children, who cannot drive yet, too."
Customers also cause Cho the greatest joy and greatest discontent in running his business.
"When I pick something to sell and the customers like it and buy it, I enjoy that. When I am able to make my customers happy, it makes me happy," he said.
"But sometimes they will ask for something new, and I try hard to get it for them, but I can't. That's hard for me because I cannot please my customer."
"Another thing" Mun Kwang adds, "the store is small, so we can't put everything here. We don't have room for everything that we would like to have."
But, if Cho has his way, the space shortage will one day change. He said he would like to eventually enlarge his store to accommodate a broad variety of merchandise.
In the meantime, he'll just keep working long and hard which, as any entrepreneur knows, is part of business ownership.
Cho's stores are open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Melrose and 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. on Campbell.
When they get a little leisure time, Cho said, he and his wife spend most of it with their 10-year-old son, Daniel, and 1-year old daughter, Esther. They are also active in the Korean Baptist Church.
"We really love it here in Roanoke," Cho said, admitting a special fondness for the mountains. "It is so beautiful, and the people are kind and friendly."
He's also pleased because he's found hard work here is rewarded.
There are a couple of things that he really wants to do very soon, he said. One is to get the signboard at his new location changed to "Style Plus."
"That was a mix-up, but it will be fixed soon," he said.
"I'd also like to get settled down enough to go back to school to work on my English," he said.
***CORRECTION***
Published correction ran on January 9, 1992.
Because of a reporter's error, the names of and Mun Kwang Cho and his wife, Han Ja Cho, were transposed in a Jan. 2 Neighbors story about their store, New Fashion.
Memo: CORRECTION