My very first encounter with GRANHAND (그랑핸드) was when I passed by their store in Bukchon (북촌) during my first visits to Seoul. Located in the midst of a residential area on the main path leading up to the heart of Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을), the small store immediately attracted my attention and I ended up browsing through different perfume bottles and scents minutes later. Not long after my initial visit, I encountered another one of their stores in Samcheong-dong (삼청동). Since then, GRANDHAND has been on my radar and I’ve bought their perfumes on several different occasions

Started in 2014 with their first location in Bukchon Hanok Village, GRANHAND has now expanded into six beautifully designed stores located all over Seoul. On top of offering a variety of selection of fragrances for daily use, GRANHAND also prides themselves in creating memorable experiences for their customers through their offline stores where people can smell their scents and touch their products.

GRANHAND Seochon (그랑핸드 서촌) is (I believe) the third location that they opened. The store definitely feels like an upgrade from the two previous ones that I’ve been to. While the other two occupies a smaller space, GRANHAND Seochon occupies a more spacious area with modern minimalist interior where they display their products.

A couple of interesting things that I found out from my visits are, one, if you’re a tourist and you pay cash, they offer a discount/tax-free option for your purchase (they asked for my passport for proof that I’m not a local resident). Two, you can get a free name-stamping service for the products you purchase. I don’t know if they’re still doing it today, but at least on my last visit, they did. So if you’re planning to buy something from the store and want to take advantage of these perks, make sure to ask them if they are still offering them.