Cute Japanese figurines, mini designer chairs and a sad ghost lamp are among the unique items at Clement Street’s newest store, Park Life. The small Asian American-owned retail store is a place for art enthusiasts or those interested in finding unique knickknacks.
“We chose the store name because of the meanings associated with those words,” said co-owner Derek Song, 30, who is Korean. “When you think about a park, you think of being relaxed and having fun. We chose to combine that with life, because we want to convey that lifestyle.”
The walls are decorated with posters of famous book covers including the F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby and J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, while in the middle of the spacious store, there are tables filled with art books. To the left and right of the room are shelves filled with amusing items including a stuffed slug animal, Maywa Denki’s cheerful, smiling line of Knockman family of wind-up toys and the new Tokidoki figurine series of anime characters with cactus spikes. The store sells postcards, unique T-shirts, magazines and artwork as well.
Park Life also acts as a gallery. Currently on display at the back of the store is a painting of a colorful giant brick explosion by Andrew Schoultz.
Song opened up the store with Jaime Alexander in Sept. 2006. They both share a love for art and wanted to open a business together. Song said that a career in the arts is now a viable career choice for Asian Americans.
“It is definitely more acceptable these days to pursue a career in art, but that doesn’t just apply for the Asian Americans,” agrees Taiwanese American artist Evah Fan, 27, whose work is for sale at Park Life. “More and more people are going to museums and gallery openings, and it seems that art is in general more accessible. It’s part of a cultural norm with greater mainstream visibility now.”
Fan, who designed tote bags featuring happy smiling tomatoes, launched her career after she graduated from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, in 2004. Besides paintings and making her own merchandise, Fan sometimes takes on illustration jobs and does a little sculpting.
“I love that [art] can be a very self-disciplined practice that involves versatility, philosophy and dabs into all different genres,” said Fan. “Not only can it be something tangible, it services like a historian, too.”
“My parents were actually easygoing when it comes to selecting my own career. They did not pressure me to do other stuff knowing that I love making art,” said Fan. “They are just worried that I will be living the ‘starving-artist’ path.”
For graphic designer and San Francisco resident Lily Lin, her parents were skeptical of her decision to pursue art.
“I grew up in a small town in the Pacific Northwest where my friends in high school were either jocks or rednecks. The decision to go into art surprised a lot of people — friends, teachers and definitely my family,” said Lin, 23. “My parents were more liberal than most typical Taiwanese parents, but I know they definitely had their share of doubts. My mom was pretty adamant about me taking science courses at college as well ‘just in case.’ I think it wasn’t until I graduated and had a job offer that my mom really started to trust my decision.”
Park Life features works by artists of all ethnicities. About a quarter to half of the store’s stock are Asian-themed or done by Asian artists.
“I want to do my best to support Asian artists,” said Song. “But at the same time, I will not go out of my way to showcase them unless I think they’re good.”
Song said the store draws a variety of customers, and as he is located in the Richmond District, a heavily Asian-populated portion of the city, many visitors are Asian.
“A lot of our Asian customers will not buy an item they like right away because the Asian mentality is to not shop on impulse,” said Song. “They will think about it and usually come back later to buy.”
“This store is for people who are not into mass-produced goods,” said Song. “Park Life is a place to come to find stuff that’s unique.”