Stationery Enthusiasts Gather Amid the Text-Hip Craze...29CM and Japan’s Loft Hold First Domestic Stationery Pop-Up [On Site]

[Financial News] The opening-day scene at the Page to Pages stationery pop-up, launched by 29CM and Loft on Yeonmujang-gil in Seongdong District, Seoul, on the 2nd, differed from the boisterous and excited atmosphere typical of pop-up events. Most visitors were women in their 20s and 30s dressed casually. Quite a few quietly browsed diaries, masking tape, notebooks, and other items on their own. Middle-aged and older visitors were also noticeable throughout the venue. It appeared that the “text-hip” consumer trend—centered on personal records and individual tastes—had moved into an offline space. Text-hip refers to the recent phenomenon, particularly among younger people, of consuming notebooks, writing, and other text-related activities as a form of fashion.
The pop-up is a Korean-Japanese stationery brand event organized by 29CM together with Loft, Japan’s leading lifestyle goods retailer. By partnering with a brand regarded by Korean consumers as a must-visit destination during trips to Japan, 29CM aims to strengthen its stationery category, which has been growing rapidly amid the recent text-hip craze.
This is Loft’s first pop-up in Korea featuring its own brand, as well as its first event jointly planned with a Korean platform. Running for five days through the 6th, the event showcases 39 Korean and Japanese stationery and lifestyle brands in a two-story building spanning approximately 1,000 square meters (300 pyeong).

The first floor’s “Loft Curation Zone” features 29 Japanese stationery brands. It primarily offers products from brands that are difficult to find in Korea, including Ashford, Papier Platz, Hynine Note, Hobonichi, and Furukawa Shiko.
The second floor features 10 Korean stationery and lifestyle brands personally curated by 29CM. Fandom-based brands such as MOS, sosomoongoo, One More Bag, and OIMU are participating. A 29CM experience area also allows visitors to choose their preferred paper, decorative objects, and string to make their own bookmarks. Five or six visitors were busy creating “my own bookmarks” using materials suited to their individual tastes.
29CM’s efforts to expand its stationery category reflect a broader shift in which stationery is moving beyond simple office supplies and into the lifestyle sphere as a means of expressing personal tastes. According to 29CM, cumulative transaction value for stationery and office supplies rose by more than 48% year on year from January through the end of August this year. Transaction value for diaries and planners increased by more than 63%, while that for stickers and tape rose by more than 45% and 10%, respectively. Transaction value for book accessories, including bookmarks and book covers, also jumped 30%. 29CM said tickets for the pop-up sold out for all five days within three days of advance reservations opening last month.
Kim Sun-young, who oversees commerce strategy at 29CM, said, “Stationery is showing a trend of moving beyond functional office supplies and becoming part of the lifestyle sphere, where people explore and express their personal tastes.” She added, “This pop-up is meaningful because it gives visitors direct access to Japanese brands whose points of sale in Korea have been limited.”
[email protected] Kim Hyun-ji Reporter