Onion Cafe Gwangjang Market Branch

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The space that has been preserved for 60 years has now passed on to the next generation. Its location at the entrance of Gwangjang Market is far from what 'today's generation' would consider ideal for a cafe. This place still functions as a lively Korean market. 'Onion' has been a brand that does 'localization' well. The first space in Seongsu-dong was a building that had been in its place for a long time, remodeled to nest there, and the second space, 'Mia' store, was also a place that retained its past appearance along with the post office building and added new appreciation. The third space, the 'Anguk' store, is a store that has reinterpreted a Hanok (traditional Korean house) in a modern way according to the local characteristics of that place. Today's fourth space also captures the characteristics of the area or district well. Selling with prices written on cardboard, often encountered in traditional markets, but what is sold is not agricultural and marine products but 'coffee & bakery (pizza?)'. Moreover, rather than completely demolishing the interior of the existing space, it seems that the work was carried out by supplementing or reusing the existing things. This can be understood by looking at the @onion.gwangjang account, which archives the purpose and story of this space. Also, they tried to blur the visual boundary between traditional market and the space enjoyed by today's generations by simply wrapping Onion brand logo tape around the tables and chairs used in the market streets. Thanks to this, not only the younger generation who come to enjoy coffee here but also the local merchants and residents easily stop by to buy coffee. 'It would have been unwelcome to imagine a famous and sophisticated brand forming a sense of difference from the entrance to the inside market with a splendid expression at the entrance to a traditional market.' As a space designer with similar directions, I empathize, but this is a matter of taste or agenda of the space designer. In short, this space contains the will to make 'Gwangjang Market' a destination. (This is also written in the archive) It's a wonderful direction of the brand to bring in a new user group to the old market. Of course, Gwangjang market is already famous for Nakji-tangtangi and encompasses many generations, but I would like to applaud the purpose of this space to think about the influx to other markets from the opposite block. 'The context of the brand, the expression into architectural space, and the interpretation into urban context' all make me nod. The story behind the space that has been held for 60 years is now theirs to write. Through the harmony of new and old, a new value and a new type of cafe have emerged. "I greatly enjoyed the space." Introducing the space while conveying this. This is the Onion 4th branch, Onion Gwangjang Market store. Location _ 1st floor, 215 Cheonggyecheon-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Jongno 5-ga) Operating hours _ 11:00 to 19:00 Menu attached.