Rocket Salad: Affordable Vintage Designer Shop in Gwangju

By Maryam Ali

Rocket Salad is located near Fashion Street on Chungjang-ro. It’s pleasing to see the growing trend of vintage designers expanding to Gwangju with this store. It’s a modern take on vintage. You can find vintage designers at affordable prices. I first noticed it this spring. The closest bus stop to the store is Chungjang Community Security Center; the bus lines 59, 45, 7, 6, 12, 55, and 74 run there. Additionally, the closest subway station is Geumnam-ro 4-ga.

The store has three floors, each with a retro feel. You can find legitimate designers that are in relatively good condition. In the store, I’ve seen brands like Burberry, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Levi’s, and many more. On the first floor you can find the seasonal picks. The tills to pay for the items are located at the end of the room on the first floor. The sales personnel are often there ironing and steaming the clothes to maintain the condition of the clothes. In the winter, seasonal sweaters and themed T-shirts are on display. As it is currently summer, a wider variation of summer clothes like T-shirts, basketball jerseys, and summer shirts are on offer.

Moreover, on the second floor you can find an American-themed display. On one side of the room, there is an assortment of formal shirts, and on the other side you can find green army-themed clothes. Lastly, the third floor has a great selection of jackets on offer. My friend bought herself a vintage Burberry coat for 160,000 won that was high quality and had a classic style. In the summer, the third floor has the winter sweaters/ jumpers. (As I’m British, I call sweaters “jumpers.”) I’m a huge fan of jumpers, collecting many different colored jumpers for my collection.

For example, I found a Ralph Lauren sweater for 35,000 won and a Tommy Hilfiger sweater for 42,000 won. I think these are great prices for classic designers that would cost more than 400,000 won at market price. A 10-percent price difference.

To conclude, the store has an online section, although I haven’t personally ordered from the website. I’ve seen the staff take images for the website and can see their dedication in sharing their products. I’ve found that the physical store has more products on offer than the website. But the website has a clearer rating of the condition of the clothes. I recommend visiting the shop to see what they have on offer, since there is more of a selection there.

Cover Photo: Entrance of Rocket Salad. (Maryam Ali)