On September 15th, CEO Woojin Oh from J !US held Hipple Salon (힙플살롱), a gathering of small business owners having the same aim of reviving Daejeon’s original downtown, on the 10th floor of Daejeon Techno Park D-Station.
Daejeon's original downtown was the site of the midnight festival held from August 11th to 17th, about 1km away on Jungang-ro between the old Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Office. The midnight festival was the largest event since the Daejeon Expo, and was evaluated as an all-time box office success, with 1.1 million people attending over the seven days it took place.
Going along well with the energetic vibe of this midnight festival, J !US hosts “Hipple Salon,” a gathering of local innovators for the revival of the original downtown.
The theme of the Hipple Salon, which was for the first time on September 15, was Neighborhood Branding Stories in the Original City Center. At the event, attendees shared the stories of various companies that have overcome the limitations of small businesses with brilliant start-up ideas and led the growth of brands in the original city center.
There were many stories such as based on the cafe system, Vinyl 042, which has been expanded to a youth retro complex cultural space or Jindong Tour Lab Agency was founded, and with many local stories as it was born and raised in Daejeon. Moreover, the Merchants' Association of Eunhaeng-dong Shopping Mall, which told stories of life with the original downtown; and Seongsimdang, which is a must-try bakery in Daejeon.
Additionally, there were exhibitions and performances of various local foods, local brands, and local artists based in Daejeon, free promotional and marketing consultation booths for small business owners, and even special lectures on local brands.
J !US is a Daejeon tourism startup that operates Hipple, a local travel service, and Nearby Trip, which provides information on Daejeon restaurants, cafes, and one-day classes. CEO Oh Woo-jin expressed his aspiration, “Hipple Salon: Story of Branding in the Old City's Neighborhood was planned as an event to bring together city residents and local artists and share the city's unique charm”. “We aim to deliver positive energy to small business owners through lectures, exhibitions, and networking, and convey through events that new hope lies locally. In addition, we want to pass on a happy home to the next generation and create a local ecosystem that grows together”, he further stated.
