I went to Seoul planning to shop for fabric.
I love sewing, but fabric is heavy and there was no way I was carrying bolts of it home to the States. So I told myself: just pick up a few small accessories and be satisfied. I stopped by Dongdaemun on the way.
That was a mistake. I liked it so much that a few days later I went back across the city to Myeongdong, on purpose.
And that is where I found these.
You decorate them yourself. Clear jelly shoes, and you choose the ribbons, flowers, beads, and pearls that go on them. We do not have anything like this in the US. Not even close.
The Four Stores at a Glance
| MIMILINE Dongdaemun | NYUNYU Dongdaemun | MIMILINE Myeongdong | NYUNYU Myeongdong | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building | TEAM204, floors 1–4 | 34 Majang-ro, floors 1–3 | Hi-Heriot Bldg, 2F and up | 22 Myeongdong 4-gil, floors 1–4 |
| Hours | 11:00 AM – 5:00 AM | 11:00 AM – 5:00 AM | approx. 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM | 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM |
| Best time to go | After 7 PM | After 7 PM | Any time of day | Any time of day |
| Selection | Very good | Very good | The largest of the four | The largest of the four |
| Range of categories | Mostly accessories | Mostly accessories | Accessories, fashion, K-beauty | Accessories, fashion, gift goods |
| Starting prices | Around ₩2,000 | Around ₩1,500 | Slightly higher | Slightly higher |
| Where the jelly shoes are | — | — | — | Yes — this is the one |
If I could only pick one neighbourhood: Myeongdong. More stock, a wider range of categories, and hours that actually fit a day of sightseeing. Dongdaemun is a few hundred won cheaper, and I could not find a reason to make a separate late-night trip for that.
Which of the two brands to choose once you are there is a longer answer — I get to that further down.
Dongdaemun — The Two Buildings Sit Right Next to Each Other
Worth knowing before you go: in Dongdaemun, each brand occupies a building of its own, and the two sit side by side.
MIMILINE is at 30 Majang-ro, floors 1 through 4 of the TEAM204 building. NYUNYU is at 34 Majang-ro, floors 1 through 3. It is a 4–5 minute walk from Sindang Station Exit 10, and under a minute between the two doors. One trip covers both.
Look at the glass door in that photo: open 11:00 AM, close 5:00 AM. Dongdaemun is a night district, and it shows. Go in the afternoon and you will find half-stocked racks and quiet aisles. After 7 PM is when it turns into the place people describe.
Prices are at their best here. Earrings, rings, and necklaces start around ₩2,000 — roughly $1.50. It is technically a wholesale district, but nobody minds if you buy a single pair.
Myeongdong — If You Only Have Time for One, Make It Here
Both brands have Myeongdong locations. They are not next door to each other the way they are in Dongdaemun, but both hold prime spots within easy walking distance.
MIMILINE Myeongdong is in the Hi-Heriot Building near Myeongdong Station. NYUNYU Myeongdong is at 22 Myeongdong 4-gil, floors 1 through 4, with the entire fourth floor given over to giftable goods.
Having walked all four, here is my honest read. Myeongdong simply has more — more stock, and a wider range of it. If Dongdaemun is a wholesale warehouse, Myeongdong is closer to a department store: accessories, fashion items, character goods, and K-beauty split across dedicated floors.
The hours are far more workable, too. Ten in the morning to eleven at night slots neatly into a sightseeing day. Dongdaemun only wakes up at night, which fights with everything else on an itinerary. If your Seoul schedule is tight, that difference matters more than you would think.
The Mistake Most People Make — The Ground Floor Is a Snack Shop
This one matters. The ground floor of MIMILINE Myeongdong is almost entirely food — an almond snack brand has the whole space. From the street it does not read as an accessory store at all, and people genuinely walk right past it.
The accessories start on the second floor. If you glance at street level, decide it is not for you, and move on, you have missed the entire building. Go up.
Each Wall Is Its Own Category
The layout here is unusual. It is not organized by table — it is organized by wall. A hairband wall. A claw clip wall. A scrunchie wall. An earring wall. A necklace wall. Each one floor to ceiling. Photos do not quite capture the scale.
One useful tip: look for the section marked “Surgical Steel.”
Most ₩2,000 pieces are plated, and they will change color within a few months of daily wear. Buy the trend pieces freely, and spend the extra few hundred won on surgical steel for your everyday basics. That is how I split mine.
My Favorite Part — The Customize Counter
Finding this section genuinely made my day. You pick beads, charms, ribbons, flowers, and pearls from the trays yourself, and they get attached to a keychain, a bag strap, or a pair of shoes. If you like making things, budget extra time here.
And this section is what gave me the best thing I brought home.
The Best Thing I Bought — Customizable Jelly Shoes
Of everything I bought, these are my favorite. They came from NYUNYU in Myeongdong.
Clear jelly shoes, decorated however you like. I chose organza ribbons, blue flowers, pearls, and tiny seed beads. When they were finished I just stood there looking at them.
Honestly, they are too pretty to wear. They are sitting in my closet and I take them out to look at them. I suspect some of you know exactly what I mean.
The Rest of the Haul — Bag Straps, Knee Socks, and More
- Bag straps — a trend that is clearly building. Swap the strap on a bag you already own and it becomes a different bag. Best value of the trip.
- Earrings — several, all on the cute side. Pearl and ribbon designs were everywhere.
- Necklace and headband — I went simple, and the finishing was better than the price suggests.
- Knee-high socks — another one coming back around.
The character keychain selection is enormous too. Plush keyrings take up an entire wall on their own.
Who Shops Here — A Wider Crowd Than You Would Guess
This part surprised me. The crowd is genuinely broad. Young girls still in elementary school, older women browsing carefully, and a great many visitors from Japan and China. Japanese, Chinese, and English all around me.
The biggest group is women in their late teens and early twenties, and the merchandising is aimed there. But the sheer volume means anyone who walks in finds something. That is the real strength of these stores.
MIMILINE vs NYUNYU — Which One Should You Pick?
So which brand actually wins? Having shopped both of them in both neighborhoods, the difference comes down to this: MIMILINE has the wider variety, and NYUNYU has the more refined pieces. NYUNYU leans a little more upscale — nicer finishes, more considered designs. MIMILINE simply carries more of everything.
If I could visit only one store, I would skip Dongdaemun and go to Myeongdong — and once there, I would choose MIMILINE. The range is what makes the trip worth it. You can hold ten versions of the same thing side by side and pick, which you cannot really do anywhere else.
That said, my favorite purchase of the entire trip — the customizable jelly shoes — came from NYUNYU Myeongdong. But the hair bands, the necklaces, the earrings, the character keychains? Almost all of that came home from MIMILINE. By volume, MIMILINE won by a wide margin.
The good news is that you do not really have to choose. The two are close enough together that if you have the time, visit both. If you are short on time and you want to buy a lot quickly, go to MIMILINE.
미미라인과 뉴뉴, 굳이 비교하자면 — 미미라인은 종류가 훨씬 다양하고, 뉴뉴는 조금 더 고급스러운 물건이 많습니다.
한 군데만 가야 한다면 저는 동대문이 아니라 명동, 그중에서도 미미라인에 갈 것 같아요. 이것저것 비교해가며 고를 수 있을 만큼 종류가 많으니까요.
제가 제일 좋아하는 젤리슈즈를 산 곳은 명동 뉴뉴였습니다. 하지만 헤어밴드, 목걸이, 귀걸이, 키체인 인형까지 — 훨씬 더 많이 사 온 곳은 미미라인이었어요.
어차피 두 곳이 같은 동네에 있으니, 시간이 되면 둘 다 들러보시길 권합니다. 시간이 없고 빠르게 많이 사야 한다면 미미라인을 추천해요.
Practical Tips for First-Timers
- At MIMILINE Myeongdong, go above the ground floor. Level one is snacks.
- Do not miss the customize counter. Look for the “DESIGN YOUR OWN” sign.
- If you are doing Dongdaemun, go after 7 PM. Daytime racks are half-stocked.
- Buy everyday pieces from the “Surgical Steel” section. A few hundred won more, and they last.
- Bring your passport. Purchases over ₩15,000 qualify for a tax refund.
- Cards work everywhere, but small cash moves faster in Dongdaemun.
- Fold a tote into your bag. You will buy many small things and the little bags stack up.
- Hold everything up to a mirror. The display lighting is unusually flattering.
- Comfortable shoes. Not a throwaway tip. One floor took me thirty minutes.
- In Dongdaemun, see both buildings. They are a minute apart — no reason not to.
Visit Information
| Store | Location | Transit | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIMILINE Dongdaemun | TEAM204 Bldg, 1–4F, 30 Majang-ro, Jung-gu | 5–7 min from Sindang or Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Stn | 11:00 AM – 5:00 AM |
| NYUNYU Dongdaemun | 34 Majang-ro, 1–3F, Jung-gu | 4 min from Sindang Stn Exit 10 | 11:00 AM – 5:00 AM |
| MIMILINE Myeongdong | Hi-Heriot Bldg, 9 Toegye-ro 1-gil, Jung-gu | About 5 min from Myeongdong Stn | Approx. 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM |
| NYUNYU Myeongdong | 22 Myeongdong 4-gil, 1–4F, Jung-gu | About 5 min from Myeongdong Stn | 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM |
Prices: earrings, rings, and necklaces from ₩1,500–2,000 · pouches and chains from ₩3,000 · straps from ₩4,000
Tax refund: over ₩15,000 with passport · Payment: card and cash accepted
Hours and floor layouts change. Worth a quick check before you make the trip.
One Last Thing
I went to Seoul for fabric and came home obsessed with a pair of jelly shoes.
I walked in thinking I would grab a couple of small things. I walked out already working out when I could come back.
Sometimes an unhurried hour spent choosing small, low-stakes things beats buying one expensive thing outright — and more so when you picked every piece of it yourself.
If Seoul is on your list, block off half a day. You can spend the whole thing just looking.
What would you put on yours? Tell me in the comments.
The walkthrough video is on YouTube — come visit @PearlofGraceLiving!
