When Korea’s IMF financial crisis hit, many Koreans were faced with a difficult, life altering decision. Do I stay, or do I pick up my life and start over? Looking back on the last 20 years of his life, James Han and his wife are both confident that they made the right one. But things weren’t always so clear when they first arrived in Flushing. Unable to speak English and having so few connections here made the first 3 years feel like a nomad’s life, jumping from job to job. James attributes his turning point to his wife’s parents. Without them they would never have been able to establish a life. Receiving their startup money to start Crystal Cleaners allowed James’ family to thrive in a multicultural community that eventually grew to accept them.

But James describes how grueling operating a dry cleaning business can be. Open 365 days a year, James works from 6AM to 6PM every single day. He has never even been on a single overnight vacation for the past 20 years. Still, when asked about retirement he said that working here has been the greatest reward of his life. His single wish is to be able to continue operating Crystal Cleaners until his body is no longer physically able. 

Established in 2002