Money, Origami and Tea
By Rich Figel

Our latest Career Changers TV show features origami artist Won Park, whose specialty is folding dollar bills into unique pieces that are quite amazing. It takes intense focus, yet he must be relaxed at the same time... sort of like zen, which suits Won's low key persona. If you watch the segment, you'll see that we shot it at the Tea Farm Cafe in Puck's Alley, which Won himself suggested since he likes to hang out there with Tiffany, his girlfriend/business manager.
While I was waiting for Won, I got to talking to the young guy behind the counter. It turned out he was the owner. Ervin Gong, age 29, started an online biz about six years ago to offer a wide variety of teas from all over the world. There weren't many competitors at that time, he said, and he did well enough to put aside money to start his cafe in Manoa. He says the inspiration for that came from tea cafes in Beijing, where his family is from. It's a very relaxing environment -- heaven for tea lovers. There are dozens of small sample containers that you can open to smell the aromas of different teas he offers, hot or cold. You can also buy breakfast foods, sandwiches and delicious desserts.
Look closer at the photo above, and you'll see samples of Won's origami art. He leaves them as tips for Ervin. But they're also a selling tool. Patrons see the intricate dollar bill creations, then ask Ervin where they came from -- and how they can get in touch with Won to order custom-made origami pieces for themselves or to give as special gifts. It's a nice match for the two entrepreneurs, who have both found niches that fit them to a tea (pardon the pun). Here's the link to The Tea Farm Cafe site.

BTW, you can order Won's new book, "Dollar Origami by Won Park" on Amazon. The publisher actually contacted him and proposed the book idea, which is pretty rare since it's generally the other way around.
You can watch the Career Changers TV segment on OC16 (click here for daily viewing times) throughout the month of January, or view the low res version on the CCTV YouTube Channel.




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