A woman passes by a secondhand affluence cast boutique in Apgujeong-dong’s Rodeo Drive breadth endure week. By Oh Sang-min

Kim Eun-jin said she begin herself in absolutely a bind as she shopped about the Apgujeong breadth in southern Seoul endure week.

“I accept a seon [a affair with a -to-be spouse] to go to in two weeks but I don’t accept a nice, academic bag to go with my outfit,” she said, browsing the windows of secondhand affluence shops beyond the artery from Galleria Administration Abundance in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul. “I don’t wish to absorb too abundant on something that I won’t use frequently but I don’t wish to buy annihilation cheap-looking for the date either.”

She debated amid a baby Bally alternation band bag and a best Chanel accept bag, but absitively to adjourn chief until she got a additional assessment from her friend.

“We saw abounding barter aboriginal this year who were added afraid to go to administration food for affluence items as the abrasion of the won adjoin added currencies angled or tripled the amount of adopted affluence cast items awash in Korea,” said Shin Jong-jin, buyer of Koibito, a secondhand affluence boutique in Apgujeong-dong.

He started the business aback in 2000 and now has four branches in Seoul in Apgujeong, in Gangnam, in foreground of Ewha Womans University and in Nonhyeon-dong. He aswell has an online store.

Why this area? “Apgujeong-dong is home to abounding aloof Korean families and there has consistently been a top appeal for affluence items here, appropriately the success of affluence brands in the area’s Galleria and Hyundai administration food as able-bodied as affluence boutiques,” he explained, wiping the bottle affectation in his abundance captivation rows of high-end watches including those from Rolex, Cartier and Hermes.

Secondhand affluence shops angle in Apgujeong adverse the Galleria Administration Store. By Oh Sang-min

“With the all-around bread-and-butter crisis, affluence accoutrements and watches, abnormally bound copy pieces, accept become array of like an investment agnate to artwork. Abounding humans advertise their affluence items to defended fast banknote in this acrid climate, but at the aforementioned time, abounding humans buy these pieces as a array of investment.”

Along the area’s “Rodeo Drive” appearance street, beyond from the Galleria Administration Store’s capital building, there are a little beneath than 30 secondhand affluence shops.

Although the absolute abode of these shops mostly apprehend Sinsa-dong, the owners accede the food “Apgujeong-dong” shops because they are in and abreast Apgujeong-dong’s “Rodeo Drive,” which has been alike with “Apgujeong-dong luxury” for abounding Koreans.

Choi Soung-suk, left, buyer of secondhand affluence boutique Grand Paris, looks over affluence cast items in her abundance endure week. By Oh Sang-min

The food started basic one by one during the backward 1990s and aboriginal 2000s appropriate afterwards the Asian banking crisis. “The association in this breadth were addled by the bread-and-butter crisis. They capital to accumulate up appearances but at the aforementioned time didn’t accept the affectionate of money they acclimated to have,” said Do Sung-hee, buyer of Affluence BJ, addition secondhand affluence boutique in the area.

Shop owners said that during the accumulation of the secondhand affluence boutique artery abounding of the high-end affluence boutiques in Apgujeong’s Rodeo Drive breadth confused to the adjacent Cheongdam area.

Last year, if the all-around banking crisis hit Korea forth with the blow of the world, boutique owners say added humans came to their food affairs items, instead of buying.

“Last year, for every four humans who came to the abundance to buy something, seven came to advertise something,” said Do. However, the all-around bread-and-butter crisis this time has not afflicted the secondhand affluence business according to the boutique owners. In fact, a majority in the Apgujeong breadth say that it has helped their business.

“Last year, as the won attenuated adjoin the yen, abounding Japanese secondhand affluence boutique owners came to Korea and bought items in bulk,” said Do.

The a lot of accepted items in these stores, according to owners, and accoutrements by Chanel, Hermes and Louis Vuitton and watches from Cartier and Rolex. “Before, there were added barter searching for archetypal items like a Chanel bag or Cartier watch. However these days, there has been a able advance of humans searching for best items and bound copy items, which they can’t get in administration food anymore,” said Shin.

Depending on the age and action of the product, items can go for 10 percent to 50 percent off the amount of new articles in administration abundance windows. For example, a checky archetypal atramentous Chanel 2.55 bag goes for about 4 actor won ($3,447) to 4.5 actor won retail these days. In Koibito, the aforementioned bag – used, but in excellent action – awash for a little beneath 2 actor won this month.

After years in business, owners say that they accept become semi-experts in weeding out knockoffs. “We occasionally run into humans who try to advertise affected items to us,” said Choi Soung-suk, buyer of Grand Paris, addition secondhand affluence boutique in Apgujeong-dong Rodeo Drive. “There are a few key methods to acquisition out if a bag is fake. The first, a lot of accepted adjustment of deciphering is the cipher amount which is hidden central the lining of bags. Then there is covering quality, the action of zippers and lining. However, if we are on the fence about an item, we yield it to an expert.”

There are added and added intricately fabricated knockoffs these days, according to the boutique owners.

“I accept appear beyond abounding affected watches that are absolute on the alfresco but affected on the inside. It is accepting harder and harder to ascertain fakes,” said Shin.

I was given a sneak peek of the store on Wednesday and was flattered to be invited to a cocktail party Thursday night for members of the media and VIP shoppers. The store doesn’t disappoint, with stunning decor that perfectly complements the gorgeous Tiffany jewelry on display.

I brought my mom to the event, and as we were parking she wondered aloud whether anyone is really shopping for high-ticket jewelry and questioned how well Tiffany would do at University Village.

I didn’t say anything at the time, because I knew that once she stepped foot into the store, she would fall under the spell of the new Tiffany concept.
What they’ve done right is taken their jewelry out of the cases and put it into the hands of women, most of whom can’t resist the bling. Additionally, as I mentioned in my Daily Find about the store, Tiffany has balanced their higher-ticket items with more affordable pieces, making it possible for many more shoppers to consider making a purchase there. The thing about a Tiffany piece is that it’s bound to be passed on from generation to generation. Plus, they’ve got such a huge inventory, there’s something there for everyone.

Sure enough, guess who walked out of the store with a brand new sterling silver Tiffany Key around her neck? That’s right, my mom. Bless her heart, my mom is a consummate shopper and a great bellwether for how well Tiffany will fare at University Village.