Meet Hana Jun Park | Designer & Maker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hana Jun Park and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hana, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My main thought process behind starting my own business in the very beginning was to let go of my fears and anxieties and to at least give this a try even if I fail horribly in the end. Before I started this, I had a hard time actually letting go of my previous career, anxieties about wether or not this was the right path, and so much fear about starting my own business. I held on to this fear for over a year before I finally made the leap.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I wish I could say that the process of what I did to start my business was easy. To be very honest, it’s still not easy maintaining it. It is constant grinding, researching, planning and stressing. It is even harder when you’re a one woman show doing everything including the production, the photography, the book keeping, the social media upkeep, shipping, working the markets, etc. It’s so difficult and I’ve had so many ups and downs especially in the beginning.

Yet, I would never give it up for an office job ever again. As hard as it is, it is the most fulfilling career I’ve ever had because I call all the shots and I don’t answer to anyone but myself. I really enjoy being my own boss and the creative director of my own brand!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would show my best friends the most epic food tour around LA! I used to live in Koreatown and I would take them to all of my favorite restaurants there. I would take them to San Gabriel for the best Chinese food and Torrance for some delicious Japanese food. I’d also take them to my favorite late-night thai restaurant called Thai Angel! Thai Angel is a must.

I would also take them to my favorite beaches in Orange County to relax and beach comb for shells, Beach hiking in Malibu and I’ve never been to Catalina Island so I’d love to take them there as well.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a shout out to the founders of Maum Market – Kioh Park and Arnold Byun. When I started my business, they were the first organization/market I started working at. They’re an extremely talented duo. My business definitely wouldn’t be where it is today with out their Maum Market and Maum Generalstore.

Website: www.ondobody.com

Instagram: @ondobody

Facebook: facebook.com/ondobody

Youtube: youtube.com/ondobody

Image Credits
Photo at ROW DTLA by Sohyun Lee (@hyun.archive)