Selected by 20,000 Citizens
Participation Doubled Compared to Last Year
Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor: Shin Sangjin) announced on September 5 that a total of eight stores have been selected as the final winners of the nation’s first citizen-participatory commercial district revitalization project, the '2025 Hip Store Audition,' organized by the Seongnam Commercial District Revitalization Foundation, an affiliated organization.
The 'Hip Store Audition' is a program that supports branding improvements for local stores with unique personalities and charm, selected through citizen voting. This year, the program was held on a larger scale than the previous year.
The stores selected this year are as follows: Gidalim Dwaejigomtang (a space embodying the attitude of simmering pork bone soup, located on Pangyo Station-ro in Bundang-gu); Poco Cake (lettering cakes that convey emotions, located on Seongnam-daero in Jungwon-gu); Haystack Pangyo Brewery (a Portland and Oregon-style brewery, located on Pangyo Park-ro in Bundang-gu); Hwarihwaari (a webfoot octopus specialty restaurant reflecting the tastes of Millennials & Gen Z, located on Seongnam-daero in Sujeong-gu); Sunchang Tteokbokki (opened in 1988, the first tteokbokki shop in the Sinheung General Market, located on Sanseong-daero in Sujeong-gu); Jubaek Sundaeguk Bossam (sundae soup carefully simmered with a 'slow food' philosophy, located on Gwangmyeong-ro in Jungwon-gu); Mugunghwa Five (brunch menu using fresh ingredients, located on Dongpangyo-ro in Bundang-gu); and Nuruk (a Korean gastropub deeply committed to traditional liquor, offering regional specialty drinks, located on Dunchon-daero in Jungwon-gu), making a total of eight stores.
This year’s audition saw 236 stores apply, more than double the 96 stores from the previous year. Among these, 144 stores that passed the first round of expert evaluation proceeded to the second round of citizen voting, which was held from August 11 to 24. A total of 20,891 people participated, casting a cumulative 129,052 votes. This represents a 276% increase compared to the previous year, demonstrating the high level of public interest in the 'Hip Store Audition.'
The foundation plans to provide customized branding improvements based on brand identity-such as signage, packaging, promotional content, and merchandise-for each selected store, with support of up to 20 million won per store. In addition, a Hip Store certification plaque ceremony will be held in the second half of the year.
Furthermore, five additional stores selected as Hip Stores in 2024 and 2025 will be chosen to operate a pop-up store at Hyundai Department Store Pangyo Branch later this year. This initiative is expected to provide small business owners with opportunities to expand their sales channels, raise brand awareness, and increase revenue.
A representative from the Seongnam Commercial District Revitalization Foundation stated, "This year’s Hip Store Audition has established itself as a local commercial district content project created together with citizens, going beyond a simple popularity vote," and added, "We will do our best to support the growth of small business owners and widely promote the value of our commercial districts through an even more advanced Hip Store Audition in 2026."
Meanwhile, the Seongnam City Hip Store Audition project was recognized for its achievements in discovering and supporting unique small businesses, winning the Excellence Award in the Economic and Regional Industry category at the National Manifesto Best Practices Competition for Basic Local Government Heads held in July.
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