103-year-old market gets rejuvenated

1913 Songjeong-yeok Market in southern city of Gwangju attracts local visitors and tourists alike after renovation. / Courtesy of Hyundai Card

By Kwon Mee-yoo

GWANGJU ― There is a small traditional outdoor market, just across the road from Gwangju Songjeong Station on the high-speed KTX railway network, in the southern city of Gwangju. The market, originally established as the Songjeong Yeokjeon Maeil Market in 1913, had been one of the country’s many traditional markets of decreasing prosperity.

Now the market, renovated and rechristened as the 1913 Songjeong-yeok Market, is one of Gwangju’s trendy spots, appearing on social media with hip photos.

Jeon Eun-bi, 24, a local resident, came to the market with her friend earlier this month, about a month after its official opening on April 18.

"Though I live nearby, this is the first time I visited this market after renovation," Jeon said. "It was a common traditional market with display stands occupying passageways. Now it is a place to take pictures. I saw photos of the market on Facebook and wanted to try the foods there."

She had a baguette burger from Gaemine Mill, a traditional mill that recently introduced foods using products from the mill.

"This is something only available at this market and I really like it," Jeon said.

The renovation was led by the Gwangju Center for Creative Economy and Innovation and Hyundai Card. Hyundai Card is known for incorporating design elements in its business, previously taking part in the renovation of Bongpyeong Market in PyeongChang County, Gangwon Province, as a form of cultural patronage.

After the renovation, the number of visitors jumped from 200 a day in May 2015 to some 4,300. On weekdays, the market attracts nearby residents. The hip young people of Gwangju and KTX passengers flock there on the weekend to enjoy the revitalized market. Cars are prohibited after 5 p.m., making the market thrive even more in the evening.

Change to preserve

The key to revitalizing the market was "the change to preserve."

"We didn't want to just modernize the market, but aimed to keep the traditional value of the venue," said Kim Young-kwan of Hyundai Card's space marketing team.

The market originally had about 60 stores, but half of them closed their doors due to decreasing sales. The shops marked about 10,000-20,000 sales a day, which is like a death sentence to the market.

However, Hyundai Card saw the potential in this tiny, untouched market.

"Traditional markets cannot compete against mega retailers just by adding a few grocery stores. So we tried to emphasize the value of traditional markets. For Songjeong-yeok Market, it was history. The market has over 100 years of history and it could add sightseeing factors to this market," Kim explained.

A large clock in front of the market's main entrance embodies its long history. Most of the stores are over 40 years old and plaques on the floor indicate when each shop opened.

Instead of standardizing storefronts, the market's signboards boast individuality. "We kept at least an element from the original signs such as font, color or shape. We wanted tradition to remain visible on the street," Kim said.

The renovation team also noticed that market is located just a few minutes away from the train station, which could help it act as an outdoor waiting room for train passengers. "We installed a real-time train schedule board at the rest area," Kim said.

Hip stores bring life to market

The 1913 Songjeong-yeok Market is filled with witty, characterful stores. Customers line up in front of Ttoa Bread, which offers a variety of fresh baked loaves filled with cheese, blueberry or chocolate.

Wheat Field Brew Pub has become a hot place for people enjoying a beer during the day, with the pub's craft beers ranging from pilsner to strong ale. The pub, located in a former bank site, kept the old door to the vault as a part of its interior design.

Most of these stores are run by young shop owners with budding business skills.

Around this time last year, over 11 stores were vacant out of 55 in total, and the remaining were mostly mom-and-pop stores. The average shopkeepers' age was 63. To breathe new life into the market, Hyundai Card recruited young merchants to take part.

"To function as a waiting lounge for the train station, the market needed more food or snack items. We consulted each shop's inventory, branding and design," Kim said.

Even instant noodles, or ramyeon in Korean, get a twist at the market. Hankki Ramyeon offers a variety of instant noodles from around the world.

"The market is just in front of the station and ramyeon is good for a quick meal," said Kwak Hyeon-ji who works at the restaurant. "We tried all noodles and offer some of the most popular ones as well as rare ones. Lately, Chinese instant noodles are winning popularity."

The market also offers opportunities for young merchants to experiment. Roh Ji-hyun of Bukakmaeul sells slow food snacks such as seaweed chips and dried sweet potato. The shop also offers classes in crafts such as traditional gift wrapping, which makes visitors stay in the market longer.

"I was impressed by the concept of harmonizing culture with the market," Roh said. "We don't aim to outsell, but want to experiment with the way of slow life at this shop instead."

The market also has pop-up stores, where people with bright ideas can apply to use the space for a short period.

The ultimate goal of the renovation is for the market to stand on its feet and thrive without the renovation team.

Bae Suck-yong, owner of a bedding store and head of the market’s merchants' association, said the original storekeepers were bewildered by the changes at first.

"After renovations, the customer base was completely changed as youths gathered like clouds," Bae said. “We didn't expect so many people to come visit this market.”

About a month after reopening, the merchants are adapting to the change, blending well with the newcomers.

"The sales increased overall with the change. The new snack shops purchase materials from grocery stores and butcher shops in the market, creating reciprocity," Bae said. "The market is relatively short, only 170 meters long. If it continues to prosper, I hope it could grow a little longer."