Starbucks Korea has revealed its newly revamped store in Edae, a district of Seoul, coinciding with the location's 25th anniversary.
The Starbucks Edae location, which opened in July 1999, was the very first store in South Korea.
The revamped store now features a personalised tumbler engraving service, enabling customers to add unique messages or nicknames to their tumblers. The service is a first for Starbucks locations in South Korea.
The store includes a special exhibition area displaying exclusive merchandise. Some of the items are unique to Starbucks Edae, including shopping bags that feature the brand's colours along with the pear blossom symbol of nearby Ewha Womans University.
The renovation seeks to enhance Starbucks Korea's legacy while providing a unique experience for customers.
Customers can select from 14 special products, including exclusive mugs and tumblers, and enjoy items featuring the original 1999 logo or designs inspired by Korea and its cities.
The store also includes a handwritten menu board, a Black Eagle manual espresso machine for brewing coffee, and baristas writing order details directly on cups - all reminiscent of practices from 1999.
Alongside a choice of 14 beverages, the store features three new drinks exclusive to the Edae location: "Starbucks Store No.1 Caffe Americano," "Starbucks Store No.1 Caffe Latte," and "Starbucks Store No.1 Cream Latte."
All are crafted using Starbucks Korea's specially developed "Byuldabang Blend" coffee and are served in exclusive mugs.
The food menu includes four varieties of classic financiers [an almond teacake] —Butter, Lemon, Pistachio and Raspberry — along with four types of cakes: Chocolate Fresh Cream Cake, Basque Chocolate Cheesecake, Blueberry Marble Cheesecake, and Black Sesame Roll. All items can be ordered individually or as part of a set.
Starbucks Korea CEO Ryan Sohn said: “The Edae store, Korea’s first Starbucks location, has grown alongside the local community over the past 25 years. We hope customers can experience the special value of this unique space and enjoy its exclusive offerings.”
