Postcards from Seoul—part 1
Marie's Seoul Recommendations 2025—shops and experiences
Hello from my home to yours!
It's belated, but Happy New Year!
Now that the first day of spring (Feb 3rd) in the traditional Korean calendar has passed, we are fully into the year of the snake, the blue snake. Wishing you all a healthy year to come with abundant prosperity in your home.
It took me longer than I wished to write my first postcard of this year, but now, here I am. I hope you all rang into the new year well, settled in with the year 2025, not getting depressed by the never-ending winter.
The main reason why it took some time for me to write my first postcard of this year was that I spent most of my January in Seoul, South Korea, visiting my family and spending much-needed time with my loved ones. And also, I was minorly dreading to pick through my unbelievable amount of photos to gather this post!
Somehow, Seoul seemed much more vibrant and stimulating than NYC in this bleak wintertime. Probably because I was going out every day with my friends and family, but especially this time, I visited so many new-to-me neighborhoods in my own hometown that it felt like a whole new city that I had never experienced before.
So, I decided to share some places that I visited this past month in Seoul. Since many of these places are new to me as well, it's not just a recommendation but also a list for myself to remember.
I'm dividing it into parts 1 and 2. Part 1 will focus on shops and experiences, and part 2 will be all about cafes and restaurants.
But before we dive in, I bought this Dior's cuticle balm while I was in Seoul's department store(Hyundai Department Store in Coex, to be exact). If you have been reading my Substack, I previously wrote about wanting to try this. And to give you some review, the bottle is pretty petite, but the balm itself is very gooey that you just need a tiny amount for each hand to nourish them instantly. It has a subtle peachy candy-like scent that goes along with the color of the balm. Here are some photos—my hand for scale.
Okay, now let's go back to the Seoul experience lists.
Starting with my most exciting find: Dapsimni Antique Shopping Mall.
It all started when I saw this one post on Threads.
Someone bought brass spoons with flower patterns etched on them, saying these Korean antiques are more famous to foreigners and are mostly sold to them. As a Korean myself, I needed to get them, too! Where's mine?
The person bought it from a place called Dapsimni Antique Shopping Mall, old strip malls that are filled with Korean antique stores.
It's right by the Dapsimni subway station, line number 5, exit number 1 or 2, so it was very convenient to visit. I was just not aware of this neighborhood in the northeast of Seoul City, but it was a thriving old town with a solid community of hardware supply warehouses.
The things you could find here were a mix of real antiques and replicas, but the owners were happy to tell which was which, and the prices were mostly reasonable. If you think of Insa-dong antique stores, the more popular Korean antique store neighborhood in the center of the city, this will be a more raw experience. You can find not just art and ceramics but also objects from daily life and even door frames from traditional houses. There are so many stores crammed in these malls, so make sure you're not wearing something bulky to walk through the narrow alleys of antiques.
I recommend you to look for some cute little dishes, ceramics, and brass dessert spoons. For the brass spoons, look for the small ones with decorative drawings etched on them. Many stores have them, so compare the qualities and prices before committing to them.
I bought a few small dishes from the early 1900s, a few of those brass spoons, and recently made(but how recent?) little ceramics. The prices of each piece were between 5,000~13,000 won($3.50~10), and I also got a little bit of discount by paying in cash. Most of the stores do accept credit cards, but if you can, bring cash for some round-down discounts.
I'll also share my itinerary for that day so that you can follow my route if you want to.
We had lunch like a local at a sul-lung-tang(beef bone broth soup) place called Woomi Sul-lung-tang. Have their regular sul-lung-tang, but also have Bibim-naengmyeon(spicy cold noodles) if you can because it wasn't available when we were there! (sigh) Then we had coffee at Natsune Coffee. It's a tiny place, but their coffee was great, and the hot chocolate was delicious, too. After feeding yourself and having caffeine, it's time for antique hunting. There are multiple buildings for the antique malls, and I recommend building number 2 to find the little things that I bought. But in general, navigating the stores and looking around the old neighborhood was the experience, so take your time and enjoy!
There's a town called Dongmyo that has similar vibes and is not that far away from this neighborhood by subway or bus. I recommend you take a subway from Dapsimni, line number 5, to Cheonggu, and switch to line number 6 and exit at Dongmyo station, exit number 3.
Dongmyo is more focused on vintage clothing, but that neighborhood is also a whole experience to look around and absorb the old Seoul City vibes, so if that's your jam, it might be a good idea to go to those two neighborhoods on the same day.
Look up Dongmyo Flea Market to find your way to visit, but you'll know which direction to go when you arrive in that area. Follow the hip-looking grandpas who go into the narrow alley next to the traditional rocky wall of the Dongmyo shrine.
Follow that narrow alley in the photo above, and you'll see all the vintage stores and piles of clothes and stuff. If you keep walking through this area and follow the Cheonggyecheon Stream, you'll walk to the Dongdaemun area and see DDP as well.
What to expect in Dongmyo: SSENSE has a great article about it that sums up the whole vibe you'll see if you go there.
Next up for an experience is the Amorepacific Museum of Art.
It's a gallery run by the cosmetic conglomerate Amorepacific, and it's inside their headquarters. They always have a very compelling show, so whenever you're visiting Seoul, it's worth checking out. The current exhibition that I saw was a contemporary show of Elmgreen & Dragset: Spaces. And, if you like the company's cosmetic brands, like Laneige or Etude, you can shop their products on the second floor as well. The building has its own brands of cafes like O'Sulloc and other famous eateries on the basement level, so you can have a full day at the building if you want to.
Notes if you care about art and design: The headquarters building was designed by the famous architect Sir David Chipperfield, and you can also find a permanent installation of Olafur Eliasson's piece in front of the building, so don't forget to check that out.
And on this trip, I went to many stationery shops that I indulged myself in, and I got so much inspiration for my future work as well. So, if you are like me and have a thing for high-end stationery, paper products, and objects to decorate, these places might be a must.
Point of View, in Seongsu-dong.
This building is in the center of the bustling street of the Seongsu area, so you won't miss it. The entire three-story building is filled with incredibly beautiful high-end stationery and decorative objects, which made me stay around for hours. Their theme is ephemera from the old world, so if you are into vintage style, an old-world charm, this might be your thing.
Blue Elephant, in Seongsu-dong.
You may have heard of this place and think it might be social media hype, but the new coveted glasses brand has its reason for the hype with its cute and super affordable sunglasses. It is known for its factory is the same as the more famous sunglasses brand Gentle Monster, and it does give somewhat of a similar vibe, but at a fraction of their price. So I think it's worth visiting! It's right across from the Point of View in Seongsu-dong, and you can get an instant tax-free, so don't forget to bring your passport.
*I just noticed they do ship internationally as well on their website, but the price is definitely higher when you buy it in dollars. I think it's a cute souvenir to get when you visit Seoul and see the place! They have multiple locations throughout the city.
Pro tip: There are so many shops that offer tax-free shopping, so don't forget to bring your passport around with you. Not just big brands and department stores, but even Point of View, the stationery store, offers tax-free. In most places, you have to receive the receipt and redeem it at the airport when you are leaving, but some places, like Blue Elephant, will give an instant tax-free discount (non-Korean passport only), so it's definitely worth considering!
LCDC Seoul, in Seongsu-dong.
It's a whole building with multiple different stores, a cafe, and a restaurant. I would recommend checking out their third floor, which has numerous small independent stores, including a vintage dishware shop(my favorite). I also love the cafe on the ground floor, Ephemera, and make sure to check out its gift shop section for unexpected cute little gifts to buy. I couldn't help but buy beautiful tins of chocolates from there. I'm sure the chocolates are delicious, but the tin was my reason for purchase.
The top floor has a balcony where you can go out and see the view of the Seongsu area. The video above shows me filming the sunset.
Samuel Smalls, in Seongsu-dong.
It's on the basement level of a very unassuming office building in the middle of this area. You really have to look at the address and have faith to go downstairs to find this place. It's famous for its vintage posters(especially the Tom and Jerry ones) and home accessories. They carry lots of things in a Memphis-style pop of colors, so if that's your style, you might find something to bring back home.
Made By, in Yeonnam-dong.
This store has multiple locations, but the one in Yeonnam-dong is the biggest one, with the entire six-story building to itself. This is more for a diary writer who loves to decorate every entry with beautiful stickers but also carries some home decor and dishware. I bought posters and bagel magnets from here to put up in my kitchen. Also, they had a little photo-taking machine that prints on receipt papers for free on the top floor. It was a cute little fun souvenir for me and my mom.
Poset, in Yeonhui-dong.
This is within walking distance of Made By in Yeonnam-dong. It's a store specializing in postcards only, like a postcard library. I've been meaning to visit this place for so long, and it was so great to see many artists' works that I recognized. It's a cute place to visit in general and a good place to stock up on postcards for your loved ones' birthdays and holidays.
0fr Seoul and Mirabelle, in Seochon.
Seochon is another beautiful old neighborhood that many of you probably already know if you traveled through Seoul City. And if you've been there, I'm sure you have heard of or visited these stores, but for me, it was my first visit this time, so I had to include them. 0fr is an independent bookstore that specializes in art and design books, and Mirabelle is a curated store for kitchen wares, dishware, and fashion goods upstairs of 0fr. I've been following the Instagram of the person who runs these stores for a long time, and it was an inspiring moment for me to see her store in person. You may have seen these photos of the store on Instagram. It's not on the big roads, so you have to follow the map and walk the back alleys. There are so many cute stores in this area, but if you're in the neighborhood, don't forget to visit this one as well.
Seochon is also famous for being a gallery neighborhood, where you can see many small to big fine arts galleries, like Chelsea in NYC. There are so many, but to name a few, you can find a big one like the Daelim Art Museum, and you can also find a smaller one like BOAN 1942, which always throws intriguing shows.
And for the preview of my next postcard, I had a lovely time at the Boot Cafe in the Seochon area, which I've been dying to visit ever since I saw a photo on Instagram. They have two locations in Seoul, but the one in Seochon is in Hanok, an old traditional Korean house, so I wanted to go to that one, specifically. It's on the main street of Seochon, and not that far away from 0fr, so it might be a nice idea to consider going there together.
Okay, that's a wrap!
If you see a glimpse of Seoul City, it's a futuristic city with leading technology, but if you think about it, it has been the capital of this country for thousands of years, over different empires.
Even though I grew up in this city, I was ignorant about the old part of it that many of these areas have been kept as is for decades and taken care of many people's lives with their own thriving local communities. Some may say some parts are gentrifying. But I also admire the younger generation finding their own ways to make their base in these old neighborhoods.
By exploring some of these old gems, I was not embarrassed to be a happy tourist in the city where I grew up, and it definitely made me more thrilled about Seoul, which I probably took for granted. There are still more places that I haven't had a chance to see this time, and I'm already excited to go back!
I hope this sparks your interest and curiosity about visiting Seoul in the future. If you are planning to visit the city soon, I hope you have found some unexpected inspiration for your trip.
Also, I'll add my Naver Map link for these places and more below.
*It seems like if you click that link without the Naver Map app, it asks for a login. You don't need to have a Naver account to see it; you just need the app.
In Korea, it's easier to navigate using Naver Map than Google Maps, so make sure to download this app. It shows every little store in the narrow alleys that Google doesn't have, and the app offers English in the settings. The app also offers a separate page dedicated to seeing the subway lines, and you can also search and buy train tickets.
I'll be back soon with part 2, which will focus on cafes and restaurants that I discovered this time and loved, so please subscribe if you'd like to see it.
Thank you so much for reading this, and I'll write you another postcard soon!
xxx
Marie