ARTIST PAINTS NOSTALGIC SUPERMARKETS

[Anchor Lead]

Mom-and-pop stores used to be a popular gathering place for grownups and a tantalizing attraction for children. Being shoved out of business by large supermarket chains and online markets, these old-fashioned mom and pop stores have been disappearing in recent days. But an artist who draws nostalgic pictures of the almost extinct small neighborhood groceries is grabbing everyone's attention. Let's take a look.

[Pkg]

A small cozy two-story house situated at an alley corner... A mom and pop store, even without a signboard, is open. Faded walls.... An abandoned mail box.... A creaky wooden door attests to the long history of the store currently run by a woman in her 80s.

[Soundbite] KIM HAK-IM(STORE OWNER) : "We took over this shop in the 1960s. There were former owners."

The shop still sells a limited selection of everyday items, as it has done for decades. But there aren't many customers.

[Soundbite] "Business was good in the past. This was a main street. There weren't any others. Everyone had to pass by here. This store was their gathering place."

In front of an old, crumbling shop, cherry blossoms are in full bloom brightening up the dull, monotonous scene.

[Soundbite] LEE MI-KYUNG(ARTIST) : "Take a close look and we can have the memories come back. I depicted the heyday of the stores, when they were most loved and thriving."

A lighted store in the evening. Smoke rises over a blue roof, bringing back memories from one's childhood. All of the artist's works depict sceneries with trees, a wooden bench and a mail box. These items used to be a common sight until the 1980s and 90s. Now, they are rarely found even in ruralareas. 25 disappearing corner shops are featured in the artist's beautiful paintings.

[Soundbite] "There are many places we remember with affection. I think mom and pop stores are the best venue of which people share warm good memories, regardless of age and gender."

In an era when speed and convenience are prioritized viewers can travel back in time to their old memories while appreciating these heart-warming and nostalgic artworks.