서현보(Seo, Hyun-Bo)
https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2026.42.2.47
South Korea has experienced unprecedented economic growth through modernization and industrialization. Despite these achievements, many
older adults have been marginalized by newly developed services and unfamiliar urban spaces, leading to social isolation, economic hardship,
and limited access to places for daily social engagement. This study examines the social roles of small local stores in supporting
community-integrated care for older adults through a review of existing research literature. Small stores can function as social spaces where
older adults are able to visit, remain, and interact, helping to counteract the alienation produced by market-driven urban development.
Carroll’s framework of Corporate Social Responsibility is used to analyze these roles. Stores fulfill economic and legal responsibilities by
providing local economic activity, employment, and compliance with regulations. They also perform ethical and philanthropic roles, such as
maintaining long-term relationships with neighborhood residents and offering meals or informal support to customers and neighbors. In some
communities, small stores already serve as social hubs where older residents gather, share resources, and support one another. These functions
contribute to the formation of local care networks that connect residents with welfare services, medical care, and social agencies. However,
small stores face significant challenges in sustaining operations amid intense competition from large-scale retailers and corporate specialization.
In a rapidly aging society with limited social services, the social roles of small stores require recognition and preservation. Although previous
efforts, including social franchising and government support, have aimed to sustain small businesses, market-driven development continues to
displace them. Given their potential contribution to community-integrated care, enhanced and innovative support is necessary to sustain
socially oriented stores or to embed these social functions within new retail models serving older adults.