[Seoul District News] Seocho-gu Launches 'Smart Bangbae Subscription Life,' the First Regular Subscription Service for Representative Products of Bangbae Living Commercial Area in Seoul Districts & Offers Various Subscription Services at 17 Stores Including Cafes, Workshops, Flower Shops, and Side Dish Stores & Residents Enjoy Discounted Product Trials, Merchants Gain Stable Sales, and the District Boosts Local Economy with Triple Benefits ... Gwanak-gu Recruiting Tenants for Gwanak S Valley University Startup Support Facility Until December 6 ... Eunpyeong-gu Recruiting Tenants for 'Youth Entrepreneurs' House'
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Amid the active subscription services that eliminate the hassle of consumption in busy daily life, a special service has emerged that allows you to ‘subscribe’ to your own neighborhood store.
Seocho-gu (Mayor Jeon Seong-su) operates ‘Smart Bangbae Subscription Life (Seul.Bang.Saeng),’ a subscription service that provides residents with representative products from small business owners within the Bangbae living commercial district (between Sadang Station and Isu Station).
By paying a fixed amount, customers can use desired products or services for a certain period, introducing the concept of the ‘subscription economy’ to neighborhood commercial districts for the first time among Seoul’s autonomous districts.
Residents pay a usage fee at familiar local stores and can enjoy a variety of representative products from these stores weekly over a 4-week period.
This project is expected to have a triple effect: residents can experience various products at discounted prices, small business owners can secure regular customers and stable sales, thereby revitalizing the local economy.
The products are composed of items such as desserts recommended by each store paired with beverages, main dishes and side dishes, and seasonal or themed bouquets. Specifically, the service is divided into five themes: ▲Creating My Own Hobby ▲Enjoying Desserts ▲Sweet Cafe ▲Delicious Meal ▲With Beautiful Flowers, provided by a total of 17 locations including cafes, workshops, flower shops, and side dish stores within the Bangbae living commercial district.
To use the service, residents who apply can reserve their desired date and time once a week during the subscription period and pick up the products at the store. The operation period runs until December 25.
Applicants can visit the stores directly to pay the usage fee and use the service. For more details, inquiries can be made to the Bangbae Living Commercial District Promotion Committee.
In the future, Seocho-gu plans to expand the participating stores in the subscription service and create a structure that enables stable sales channels and revenue generation. Additionally, support will be provided for small business owners to easily participate in and directly operate the subscription economy.
Seocho-gu Mayor Jeon Seong-su said, “We will discover various projects that allow many residents to enjoy hidden gem neighborhood stores so that both residents and merchants can win-win,” adding, “We will strive to revitalize the neighborhood commercial districts and contribute to the local economy.”
Meanwhile, Seocho-gu was selected in 2020 for the Seoul City neighborhood economy revitalization project, the Living Commercial District Development Project, and has received up to 3 billion KRW in project funds over three years until 2023. The project includes operating 20 community stores (offering free umbrellas, shared shopping baskets, unmanned parcel lockers, etc.), providing meeting spaces (3 cafes), running marketing study groups (Merchant School, 4 teams with 18 stores), and hosting sale festivals.
Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is recruiting new innovative startup companies with growth potential for residency.
The district is promoting the ‘Gwanak S Valley’ project, which fosters symbiosis among universities, companies, and the local community, centered on Nakseongdae-dong’s Nakseong Venture Valley and Daehak-dong’s Sillim Startup Valley, leveraging Seoul National University’s excellent talent, technology, and youth assets.
Since the 7th local government term, efforts to transform the region, once a barren land for startups, into a venture startup hub have resulted in the establishment of 13 startup infrastructure facilities. Currently, 112 startup companies reside there, with 711 startup activists developing their capabilities across various fields.
This year, the district is adding three new startup support facilities (Gwanak-gu Hoam-ro 22-gil 32 and two others) in Daehak-dong, part of the ‘Sillim Startup Valley,’ one of the two main startup support facility hubs, with completion scheduled for December.
The recruitment target for the three facilities within ‘Sillim Startup Valley’ is technology-based (preliminary) startups within seven years of establishment as of the announcement date (November 16, 2022). Applicants must possess core technology to concretely realize their startup ideas into products or services.
Selection is through a first-round document review and a second-round presentation evaluation. Additional points are awarded for recommendation letters from VCs, accelerators, or related organizations (1 point), and venture business certification (2 points).
The available spaces are 14 independent rooms: seven 18-person rooms, three 20-person rooms, one 21-person room, and three 32-person rooms. Space allocation depends on the startup item, evaluation results, and number of employees of the selected companies.
Selected companies receive office space at low rent, access to shared meeting rooms, and various OA facilities. The residency period is one year, with the possibility of a one-year extension after evaluation.
Additionally, companies are offered opportunities to effectively enhance growth and survival potential through ▲investment attraction support via Gwanak S Valley demo days ▲expert consulting ▲networking ▲customized support programs by company sector and stage.
The application period runs until December 6. Interested parties can check the announcement on the Gwanak-gu Office website and apply via email. Inquiries regarding company selection can be made by phone or email.
Meanwhile, under the 8th local government term, Gwanak-gu aims to attract over 1,000 venture companies under the name ‘Gwanak S Valley 2.0’ and is promoting the establishment of the tentatively named ‘Gwanak Small and Medium Venture Promotion Center’ to provide more systematic support for small and medium ventures.
A district official stated, “The sales and investment performance of resident startups have grown annually, achieving approximately 28.2 billion KRW in sales and 107.7 billion KRW in investment attraction as of the end of September this year,” adding, “We will continue to accelerate support in space, technology, and investment for resident companies’ global expansion, investment attraction, and growth, making Gwanak-gu a venture startup hub.”
Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) is recruiting young people to move into the customized public rental housing ‘House for Young Entrepreneurs’ by December 6 to foster young entrepreneurs and establish a foundation for startup growth.
The ‘House for Young Entrepreneurs’ is a customized public rental housing project that addresses both startup space and housing issues for young prospective and current entrepreneurs by offering affordable deposits and rents. It is a collaborative project between Eunpyeong-gu and Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation (SH).
This recruitment seeks four studio-type units with exclusive areas of 25 to 29 square meters. A pre-opening will be held on December 1-2 to allow applicants to inspect the interior and exterior of the target youth housing. Currently, there are 32 units in operation in Sinsa-dong, with 14 units in the first building and 18 units in the second.
Applicants must be young people aged 19 to 39 as of the 18th of this month, residents of Seoul, members of a household with three or fewer people without home ownership, and have an income below 70% of the previous year’s urban worker average income.
Those wishing to move in can download the application form from the district website’s notices and announcements, fill it out, and submit it via email to the person in charge. Residents can live initially for two years, with the possibility of extension up to six years if eligibility is maintained.
For more details, check the district website’s notices and announcements or contact the Social Economy Division’s Youth Support Team at the district office.
Eunpyeong-gu Mayor Kim Mi-kyung said, “The House for Young Entrepreneurs is a space where young entrepreneurs can catch two rabbits at once?housing and startups,” and encouraged “many interested young entrepreneurs to participate.”
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