South Korean climbing and streetwear brand Tansan Magnesium has devised an unusual format for its flagship store in Seoul's fashionable Sinsa-dong district. Visitors are invited to experience the atmosphere of sport even before buying any goods. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
On the store's first floor, where a coffee shop is located, architects from Toff Studio built a huge rock structure for bouldering (a form of climbing — editor's note). To reach the retail area on the second floor directly, customers must literally climb up this rock. Before ascending, thrill-seekers are required to sign a liability waiver in case of a fall.
For all other shoppers, the building provides a regular staircase and an elevator. The name Tansan Magnesium itself translates as "Magnesium Carbonate" — a powder climbers use for better grip. According to the store owners' idea, the entrance structure serves as a kind of "filter" and creates immersion in the culture of active recreation.
The idea with the artificial boulder instantly turned the store into an internet sensation. Visitors line up to record their climb on video for Instagram and TikTok.
Clips of the ascent process go viral and gather thousands of views and comments. Social media users joke about evacuation norms, insurance and tax inspections, giving the brand enormous reach and free advertising around the world.
"Can we make an entrance like this for a clinic?", "And how do you get back?", "Cool", "Wow", users write.
Earlier, Kursiv LifeStyle wrote that fans of unusual entertainment and thrills share videos from Shanghai on social media, where shopping in a mall can be combined with an extreme descent. The main attraction of the Printemps Mall was a giant slide allowing visitors to move from the upper floors to the first floor of the building in just a few seconds.