A true mini store
New stores in Seoul: one big, one small.
A new mini store was recently completed. No, not one of those mini stores. This mini store is even more mini — it’s a 1:64 scale model of Apple Garosugil in Seoul, carefully crafted in exquisite detail. I chatted with the creator of the diorama to learn more about this wonderful creation. Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
Juyeong first began building dioramas in 2020, and over the past two years gave the hobby full attention. The latest builds are posted on the YouTube channel Downsize, where Juyeong documents every step of the construction process. Apple Garosugil is their 12th diorama and follows massively popular recreations like a Starbucks store and the Hakone Turnpike.
“There are six Apple Stores in South Korea. Among them, Apple Garosugil is the most iconic because it’s the very first one,” says Juyeong. As a standalone building, the store was ideal to model.
Juyeong visited Apple Garosugil to take photos of each Avenue and build a reference library for determining measurements. “The first thing I do is open Google Maps and check the satellite view of the site I want to make. I can measure the rough scale there. For the smaller sites, I compare an item to what I already know the size of, for example, a car or person. And with some easy math, I can figure out the approximate size. It was easier for the Apple Store because you can easily find accurate dimensions of the stuff inside, even the tables, on the internet.”
After the visit came nearly a month of modeling, cutting, gluing, and painting. The Apple Garosugil diorama includes a real backlit, diffused Apple logo, video wall and Avenues, trees with integrated saddle brown seating, Forum seats, a plank ceiling, and detailed merchandising including iPhone MagSafe docks and Apple Watch risers.
The folks at Eckersley O’Callaghan would be proud to see that the acrylic facade was laser-cut and painted in two stages: first to add a chrome door frame and again to add tiny seams between each glass panel. Even the store’s easily overlooked but unique glass vestibule was faithfully recreated.
“I was especially impressed by the fire extinguisher inside, which is specially designed for the Apple Store,” says Juyeong. “I think that shows Apple's obsession towards detail, which I love. It can be easily neglected in other architecture.”
“Simple equals easy… so the exterior was easier than my previous projects, but the interior was the opposite. The interior itself is simple, but the iPhones, iPads, and other devices... There are so many of them, and way too small! That made this diorama as hard as the Starbucks diorama.”
Juyeong shared some behind-the-scenes photos of the 3D modeling and construction process, including those too-small iPhones and iPads:
I encourage you to visit the Downsize channel and check out the full 42-minute video. The quality and precision of this build makes it a true work of art that I know Tabletops readers will appreciate in a special way.
Apple Hongdae
South Korea will soon have a seventh Apple Store. Apple Hongdae opens on January 20 at 10:00 a.m.
This store is an outdoor, single-level location with a curved glass corner entrance. It’s located in Seoul’s Mapo District, near Hongik University Station.
Apple’s website includes wallpapers and links to Apple Music, App Store, and Apple TV collections. Did you spot the characters “홍대” hidden in the Apple logo?
Renovations in China
Two notable renovations at stores in China were completed in time for the new year. At Apple Nanjing East, the store’s little-known upper level reopened featuring a new design with Avenues. The narrow room, which is reserved for setup and not accessible from other levels of the store without exiting through the mall, previously included counters, graphic panels, and two feature bays.
In the center of the back wall now is an extremely rare 5-foot MagSafe bay (these are typically 10 feet). To my knowledge, the only other store in the world with this mini bay is Apple Brussels, where the fixture was retrofit to replace an early vitrine-style bay.
This concludes the Nanjing East renovation, which was spread across several phases beginning last March.
Opposite the new Apple Pickup counter at Apple Pudong, construction has finished to reveal a new and remarkably long Genius Bar. The bar includes a backlit Genius logo matching the Pickup signage and accessible low counters on each end. The Genius Bar was originally at the opposite end of the store, and this area housed accessories and the entrance to a Briefing Room, which has been removed. The store’s glass cylinder is still under renovation.
Featured image
Apple Fifth Avenue
Photo via @ruijorgevilela.