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If your life can’t be a fairy tale, at least your bedroom can

Under Happy n Co’s bright pink-and-orange sign stands a skinny cutout of a doll dressed in a violet-and-blue dress and a yellow tiara.
Most of the people who go to this new shop are, at heart, that little princess.
Pass by the Apgujeong-dong store, which is chock full of colorful accessories, stationery goods and dolls from Australia, and you’d think that it was just for kindergarten-age girls.
But inside you’ll find mostly women in their 20s and 30s scouring the shelves. Upon seeing a particularly cute key chain, they’ll squeal with joy.
The princesses, er, patrons are usually smitten by the shop’s bedsheet sets, with matching spreads, sheets and pillowcases. Visions of redecorated bedrooms dance through their minds.
At Happy n Co, the designs are delicious. Many of them draw on the animal kingdom, and every creature ― a frog, a pig, a hippopotamus, a bee or a butterfly ― is dizzingly bright with candy or fruity colors.
But with the dazzle you get function. Many of the items are practical for the home or office: a purple-and-yellow bee mouse pad costs 7,800 won ($6.50), plush cushions shaped like giant lips or a pig’s face are 29,800 to 39,800 won. A toy-like alarm clock costs 34,800 won.
Since the shop opened a few months ago, its best-sellers have been its colorful bedding sets, which cost 78,000 won for a single bed, 98,000 won for a double and 108,000 won for a queen.
The girls who come here don’t stop at the bedroom, though.
Usually they start thinking bathroom. Mats, towels and shower curtains feature equally loud but lovely animals. Usually they’re dancing, surrounded by flowers, bees and butterflies.
The shop’s newest items for spring are tote bags and backpacks. A small tote costs 22,800 won, and a medium-sized backpack 39,800 won.
Beware if you buy a bag, though, because you’ll want to fill it with colorful notebooks, pens, coin purses, telephone accessories, charms, watches...and the list goes on.

Happy n Co
Theme: Girly accessories
Telephone: (02) 512-3064
Hours: 10 a.m-12:30 a.m. daily
Location: 657-10 Sinsa-dong; a 15-minute walk from the
Galleria Department Store
Parking: None

by Ines Cho