Family sells entire plaza to developer
By Teresa Sargeant
Reporter
After over 20 years in business, the Kim family is saying goodbye to All American Furniture and closing its doors on March 30.
Located at 54 E. Fifth St., Apopka, All American Furniture has been a familiar spot on Fifth Street in downtown Apopka. The furniture store is located in the same plaza with such businesses as Propagate Social House, Three Odd Guys Brewing and the Smoke Exchange.
In its estimated 6,000 square-foot space, All American Furniture sold appliances, antiques, mattresses and more. The store served many lower to middle-income families and created a lot of memories for the community.
Hai Yong Kim, an immigrant from Seoul, South Korea, described operating the used furniture store as relaxing and enjoyable as she received many friendly customers.
“You know, have a nice customer coming all the time. Very friendly,” she said.
Many customers have been saddened by the closure because All American Furniture represents old Apopka.
“One lady was just tearing [up]—she’s like, I’m going to miss you. This is just old Apopka, and old Apopka is changing,” Hai’s son Young Kim, one of three sons and an attorney, said. His law office is located in the plaza, to the side of All American Furniture.
“Customers have cried, I’m happy too; everybody misses me,” Hai Yong Kim said. “I miss everybody too.”
Previously, Hai Yung Kim owned a restaurant in California that was popular among movie stars, and she worked there until she sold it and the family moved to Apopka.
The Kim family purchased the used furniture store from previous owner John Green and acquired the Fifth Street Plaza from Warren Lockeby in the early 2000s. The space All American Furniture occupies once was a nickel and dime store, Young Kim said.
After discussions with Warren Lockerby, the landlord, he said that the Kim family would have to buy the building or risk not renewing their lease.
After the acquisition, Hai Yong Kim and her husband Howard Kim then expanded All American Furniture’s inventory, selling more used furniture for over the next two decades.
When the Kim family took ownership of the plaza, the only tenants were the used furniture store and a Spanish church. Through the family’s efforts, Fifth Street prospered. Young Kim was tasked with bringing more tenants into the building, resulting in Three Odd Guys, Propagate Social House and the Smoke Stack becoming tenants.
Over the years, the Fifth Street area further prospered with events, and infrastructure and edifice renovations.
Propagate Social House launched a farmers’ market that takes place on Fifth Avenue every Friday.
Across the street, the city renovated the public parking lot that included repaving the ground and planting palm trees.
The Kim family became acquainted with the surrounding businesses on Fifth Avenue too.
When it came time for Hai Yong Kim to retire, no one else in the family wanted to take over the business. Hai Yong Kim said that her long-time employee didn’t come work following a return from a trip, which was a significant challenge. She decided to sell the store and retire, as she wanted to spend more time relaxing and playing golf at the Winter Park Golf Club.
The family sold the entire plaza to a developer with the belief that the investment firm, having more money than the family, could better develop the plaza.
“Our family doesn’t have as much money as a large developer to make improvements,” Young Kim said. “So for the future, as Apopka develops, and more and more things develop, I think there’s going to be so much potential in this building, because there’s so much history.”
The Apopka Chief is an award-winning weekly newspaper serving the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923.
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