'At least 1 Hour to Get a Seat'... MZ Hotspot Drawing 3,000 Visitors on Weekends

Over 1,500 Visitors Daily on Weekdays
Enjoy Cultural and Artistic Performances on Weekend Evenings
Arcade Games and Retro Style Attract Kids and Seniors
Increase in Foreign Visitors Due to Proximity to Dongdaemun, Myeongdong, and Itaewon

"Did you come looking for Starbucks? Take the elevator over there and go to the 3rd floor!"

Entrance of Starbucks Gyeongdong 1960 branch in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Hyewon

On the 21st afternoon, a group of college students in their 20s kept looking at their phones while wandering around Kyungdong Market, and the merchants readily pointed with their fingers to guide them.

Seoul’s Dongdaemun-gu Starbucks Kyungdong 1960, which opened in the heart of Kyungdong Market in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, last November, has become a must-visit "hot place" among the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) just six months after opening. The old theater was remodeled with a unique interior, gaining word-of-mouth on social media (SNS), attracting an average of over 1,500 visitors on weekdays and between 2,500 to over 3,000 customers on weekends. Despite having about 363 pyeong (approximately 1,200 square meters) and over 200 seats, on weekends, customers sometimes have to wait more than an hour to find a seat.

On this weekend day as well, the silent "seat battle" among customers continued throughout the afternoon. Especially popular were the seats at the upper part of the central staircase overlooking the entire store and the seats along one wall on the 2nd floor, reminiscent of an opera theater.

At the front of the store, a small stage is set up where cultural and artistic performances take place every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 6 PM for 30 minutes. On this occasion, guitarist Lee Dohyun and vocalist Lee Yerim performed a romantic jazz concert, soothing the regret of the last night of the weekend. Most customers closed their eyes and enjoyed the music, and young customers taking photos nonstop with the performance stage as the background were often seen.

On the afternoon of the 21st, a weekend, the Starbucks Gyeongdong 1960 branch in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, is bustling with customers. Photo by Moon Hyewon

Since Starbucks Kyungdong 1960 is located inside a traditional market, many elderly customers visit, and thanks to the retro-style interior and various exhibits, middle-aged customers reminiscing about their youth as well as children come together here. The atmosphere of the traditionally quiet market has been revitalized thanks to this place, and it has been recognized by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups as a case of win-win cooperation between large corporations and traditional markets.

Not only locals but also foreign tourists have increased significantly. With the endemic trend and the rise in foreign tourist inflow, its geographical and locational advantages near Dongdaemun, Myeongdong, Gyeongbokgung, Seoul Station, and Itaewon attract foreign tourists who visit to taste Starbucks signature drinks and bakery products unique to Korea and often purchase MD products such as tumblers and mugs.

Starbucks Kyungdong 1960 is a branch remodeled into a cafe by preserving the interior of the Kyungdong Theater built in the 1960s. It features grandeur and comfort by blending the existing theater’s atmosphere. The high steel ceiling and wooden structures harmonize, and retro lighting fixtures placed throughout create a subtle ambiance.

On the 21st, customers are enjoying games at Geumseong Arcade in the 'Mood Refresh Corner' connected to the Starbucks Gyeongdong 1960 store in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Hyewon

As the largest Starbucks store in the country, it is quite difficult for staff to call out customers’ names loudly when orders are ready. Therefore, this store uniquely displays order numbers using beam projectors on both side walls. Like the ending credits that appear on a screen after a movie, when an order is ready, the order number or nickname is displayed in bright letters.

After filling up on drinks and bakery items, customers can exit through the door at the back center of the store to "Geumseong Electronics" and enjoy various experience spaces. For example, the "Mood Refresh Corner" Geumseong Arcade is a space where customers can play arcade games on LG OLED’s large and vivid screen to refresh their mood, especially a great place for customers accompanied by young children to spend time.