Hae Un Lee

In 1981, Lee opened a liquor store in the Las Vegas Valley called Plaza Liquor, which would later develop into a chain of stores called Lee's Discount Liquor.[7][4][10][11] Initially, Lee operated one of the few standalone liquor stores in Las Vegas, where most packaged alcohol was sold in supermarkets.[4] Lee said he worked hard to ensure the liquor store would be successful. He worked seven days a week and operated the store largely by himself.[10] Lee would work overnight shifts as a bellhop, go home to sleep for three hours, and then open his liquor store for a 12-hour shift.[12] At some point, Lee also worked late-night shifts as a busboy for a casino in downtown Las Vegas, while operating the liquor store during the day, taking naps under the store counter at times.[4][9] Lee's Discount Liquor grew to become a major retailer of alcohol in the Las Vegas Valley.[13]

As of 2006, Lee still worked seven days a week. He considered Las Vegas a difficult place to operate a liquor store because of strict laws, as well as competition from grocery stores and bars. At the time, Lee operated nine of the 45 liquor stores located in the Las Vegas Valley,[14] and Lee's Discount Liquor had become the largest alcohol retailer in Nevada.[7] In 2012, his son Kenny Lee took over daily operations of the company's 17 store locations, although Hae Un Lee maintained some involvement in the business.[15] As of 2016, Hae Un Lee had no plans of retiring from his position as chief executive officer.[10] Lee's remained as the largest liquor retailer in Nevada, with 22 locations.[16]

In 1992, Lee was the president of the local Korean Association, and he asked businessman James Yu to help operate it with him.[17] In 2006, Lee helped organize plans for a new local bank, First Asian Bank, which would serve Asian entrepreneurs.[18][19] Lee and Yu were among the board members for the bank,[20][21] which opened in 2007.[22] Lee's Tavern, a sports bar and steak house, opened in Mesquite during the same year.[23][24]

When Lee moved to Las Vegas in 1980, there were only a few small Korean grocery stores and restaurants in the city.[9] Lee wanted to expand the local Korean culture. In 2006, Lee and business partner James Yu purchased an old Albertsons building and strip mall with plans to renovate it into an Asian shopping center known as Koreatown Plaza, located on Spring Mountain Road near Las Vegas' Chinatown. The project was delayed over the next two years because of construction and asbestos issues. It opened in January 2009.[25][26] A 30,000 sq ft (2,800 m²) Korean grocery store opened as the anchor tenant later that year, through a lease with Lee. Koreatown Plaza, located on 10 acres, has 900,000 sq ft (84,000 m²) of space, including a 200-seat food court.[27][28] The shopping center has been used as an event space for the Asian community.[26][29]

In January 2012, the Lee family opened a restaurant, Woonam Jung, at Koreatown Plaza. An earlier tenant was to operate the eatery, but the deal did not work out, leaving the Lees to renovate and open the restaurant themselves with help from a Korean chef who would manage it.[30][31][32] The restaurant later became known as Lee's Korean BBQ.[11][32]

Aside from Lee's Discount Liquor, Lee also owns another alcohol retailer, Strip Liquor, a higher-priced store located on the Las Vegas Strip with tourists as the target clientele.[13][15][33]