A vanity full of pink and purple things, a blue fish beaming with ornaments, a box full of Beanie Baby toys, a silver disco ball the owner didn’t even bother hanging up and a small television constantly streaming Care Bears—the owner of this room is possibly ‘Jodie,’ I mean, ‘Marisa’ who goes by ‘Missy,’ the coolest 6th grader in school. She’s probably getting some milk and cookies from downstairs right now. The selection is “mostly authentic vintage from all around the world,” and even the bookself is filled with children’s books from the 90’s.
Vintage dolls and toys are owner Jo Bo-mi’s long-time hobby and passion. “‘I’m an effing adult. How come I’m still obsessed with toys?’ I used to think—well, I still wonder,” she says playfully. When Jo once went out to a flea market with a few of her items, she realized that there are other kidults of her sort. Her home was far away from Seoul, but she opened up shop in Hongdae and didn’t think twice about it. Now Jo’s an owner of the most adorcable shops in Hongdae, Yeongdeungpo, Daegu and Songdo.
“Do you identify as a full-time ‘kidult’ then?” “Well, I do want ‘cute’ for any and every little object around me. Anyone of any age seeks wit, fun, and happiness with at least a little part of their life, you know? I find closet-kidults around me all the time. I think, I mean, I’m 100% sure that adults love cute stuff.” I guess she’s right: after spending some time at the shop, I overcame the awkwardness that I had felt as I walked in—it felt good, and now I was worried I might spend too much on the little pastel-colored Care Bears and vintage Barbies arrayed inside.