Chicago Beauty Shop Looted
Donation protected
Hi, I’m Joy Lee and I want to share the story of my church family members Kwang Sin and his wife Soonhee Sin. Their beauty shop “Chicago Fashion Island #2 Beauty Supply” is facing the consequences of being looted. 75% of their property was stolen and they need help to stand up again.
For the last 8 years, they have invested their heart and energy in this store. After many years of sacrifice and hard work, this past January they had finally felt they were coming out of the overwhelming challenges faced by most new business owners. Sharing joys and sorrows with local community members, they call their customers “friends (친구 손님).” It gives Kwang great joy to see them going back with items they wanted, so he tries his best to have products even with a small demand. Soonhee loves to give lollipops to the kids who visit her store.
However, at about 6 a.m. on Sunday 5/31, Kwang Sin got a call from the alarm company that one of the windows in his store was shattered. Later that day, the situation worsened. Without the windows, people were able to twist away the protective fence and started taking items from the store. The ATM was looted, followed by the lottery machine, cosmetics, wigs, clothes, etc. Packages of human hair, which is relatively rare and expensive, were carried out in boxes. With many stores facing similar circumstances, there was little police assistance in the matter. Kwang Sin saw it all from the parking lot, only to find some of the looters being his customers whom he thinks of as “friends.”
Here are some pictures of the store right after the looting:
75% of Kwang Sin’s inventory was looted, and the insurance company covers only about a quarter of the loss. Despite their effort to clean up day and night for the last two weeks, the floor carpets still have stains and half of the shelves are empty. Relationships and trust seem gone. However, they have hope. After a few nights of being in the pit of a nightmare, they saw God’s mercy working to reveal and heal the brokenness in themselves and their family through it all. Kwang said, “I realized the significance of Jesus’s resurrection through this.” He hopes to show that there is a God by standing up from his loss and reconciling with his customers to become friends again.
In hearing Kwang and Soonhee’s story, their hopefulness deeply moved me, reminding me of a saying by the lawyer Bryan Stevenson: “Hopelessness is the enemy of justice.” I wanted to encourage them with this small thing I can do, sharing with you that they launched a journey to realize justice and forgiveness in their local community by standing up on the ruins and rebuilding relationships. I ask you to join in this journey through praying, donating, and choosing to be hopeful today.
We stand with George Floyd and lament with those who suffer from racism and the loss of loved ones.
*The fund will be used for the recovery of facilities and purchases of items.
For the last 8 years, they have invested their heart and energy in this store. After many years of sacrifice and hard work, this past January they had finally felt they were coming out of the overwhelming challenges faced by most new business owners. Sharing joys and sorrows with local community members, they call their customers “friends (친구 손님).” It gives Kwang great joy to see them going back with items they wanted, so he tries his best to have products even with a small demand. Soonhee loves to give lollipops to the kids who visit her store.
However, at about 6 a.m. on Sunday 5/31, Kwang Sin got a call from the alarm company that one of the windows in his store was shattered. Later that day, the situation worsened. Without the windows, people were able to twist away the protective fence and started taking items from the store. The ATM was looted, followed by the lottery machine, cosmetics, wigs, clothes, etc. Packages of human hair, which is relatively rare and expensive, were carried out in boxes. With many stores facing similar circumstances, there was little police assistance in the matter. Kwang Sin saw it all from the parking lot, only to find some of the looters being his customers whom he thinks of as “friends.”
Here are some pictures of the store right after the looting:
75% of Kwang Sin’s inventory was looted, and the insurance company covers only about a quarter of the loss. Despite their effort to clean up day and night for the last two weeks, the floor carpets still have stains and half of the shelves are empty. Relationships and trust seem gone. However, they have hope. After a few nights of being in the pit of a nightmare, they saw God’s mercy working to reveal and heal the brokenness in themselves and their family through it all. Kwang said, “I realized the significance of Jesus’s resurrection through this.” He hopes to show that there is a God by standing up from his loss and reconciling with his customers to become friends again.
In hearing Kwang and Soonhee’s story, their hopefulness deeply moved me, reminding me of a saying by the lawyer Bryan Stevenson: “Hopelessness is the enemy of justice.” I wanted to encourage them with this small thing I can do, sharing with you that they launched a journey to realize justice and forgiveness in their local community by standing up on the ruins and rebuilding relationships. I ask you to join in this journey through praying, donating, and choosing to be hopeful today.
We stand with George Floyd and lament with those who suffer from racism and the loss of loved ones.
*The fund will be used for the recovery of facilities and purchases of items.
Organiser and beneficiary
Joy Lee
Organiser
Wheaton, IL
Shawn Sin
Beneficiary