Gangneung Cafe Toetmaru, Yeouido The Hyundai Seoul Pop-up Store
Captivating Taste and Style Combined with Media Art
"For the first time, we leave Gangneung and welcome you in a completely new and unfamiliar place."
A pop-up store "Moon Over Gangneung" combining media art operated by digital design and art company District and Gangneung Toitmaru at The Hyundai Seoul. Photo by District
This is a post from the official account of ‘Toetmaru,’ a representative hot-spot cafe in Gangneung. Starting in August 2017 in a small space of about 10 pyeong, Toetmaru expanded and relocated within two years, becoming an essential stop for countless travelers visiting Gangneung every year. The original Toetmaru coffee, only available at Toetmaru, offers a deep flavor with the perfect ratio of black sesame cream, milk, and espresso, true to its origin as the pioneer of the black sesame latte.
Toetmaru opened a pop-up store called ‘Moon Over Gangneung’ at The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido, Seoul, combining digital design and art company District’s media art with the cafe experience. The pop-up store, held for 13 days from the 12th to the 24th, themed around the ‘moon’ symbolizing Gangneung, brought together District’s media art and the experience of Cafe Toetmaru in one place.
From the moment it opened, word of mouth has spread, attracting not only the MZ generation but also middle-aged visitors and foreigners. This is because it satisfies all five senses with both taste and style. At the pop-up store, visitors can relive the experience of sitting at Gangneung Toetmaru and feeling nature, while enjoying five moon-themed cr?me br?l?es made with representative ingredients from Gangneung, along with Toetmaru’s signature black sesame coffee.
A pop-up store "Moon Over Gangneung" combining media art operated by digital design and art company District and Gangneung Toitmaru at The Hyundai Seoul. Provided by District
District installed a media box within the pop-up space to immerse visitors in Gangneung’s moon story, showcasing various media art works such as Jang Yuhwan’s ‘The moon is everywhere: Desert’ and ‘Gangwon, the Beauty Crafted by the Time of Nature,’ which was previously exhibited at the Arte Museum Gangneung. Through this, they aim to provide a new immersive experience combined with dining.
The pop-up store is part of District’s ‘d’licious project,’ designed to diversify business into developing and distributing regionally specialized products in response to increased demand for tourism souvenirs. The goal is to develop and expand new intellectual property (IP) that embodies regional coexistence through collaboration with local F&B (food and beverage) creators representing the area.
Promotional photo of Gangneung Toetmaru, which operates the popup store 'Moon Over Gangneung' in collaboration with digital design and art company District. Official Toetmaru account.
Lee Donghoon, Vice President of District’s Art & Retail Division, said, "We prepared this pop-up event to capture the beautiful nature and culture of Gangneung through media art and F&B, offering customers new enjoyment." He added, "We plan to continue showcasing various content through collaborations with local F&B creators, so we ask for your great interest."
District has formalized its collaboration with Cafe Toetmaru through this pop-up event and plans to collect customer feedback on the new IP to establish and expand the direction of future collaborative IPs.
Digital design and art company District and Gangneung Toitmaru's media art-integrated pop-up store "Moon Over Gangneung" operating at The Hyundai Seoul. Photo by Asia Economy
A pop-up store "Moon Over Gangneung" combining media art operated by digital design and art company District and Gangneung Toitmaru at The Hyundai Seoul. Photo by Asia Economy.
District has formalized its collaboration with Cafe Toetmaru through this pop-up event and plans to collect customer feedback on the new IP to establish and expand the direction of future collaborative IPs.
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