Singapore — For those not yet in the know, K-pop superstars BTS opened their first pop-up store in Singapore on November 14, along with the staggering announcement that the exclusive store would remain open for only three months. In light of this, dedicated fans (otherwise known as the uber-loyal BTS ARMY) planning to make trips to the shop—which carries limited edition, must-have BTS merchandise—should know that each visitor is only allowed seven visits, with one hour being the maximum time for each trip to the store.
Korean boyband BTS, arguably one of the most influential and famous boybands in the world, have truly taken the world by storm, not only with their music, but with their work as UNICEF goodwill ambassadors.
The band’s latest album, Map Of The Soul:7 (MOTS:7), has taken the K-pop group to history-making heights, becoming the first Asian music group to hold the number one spot in some of the biggest music markets globally—in the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, France and Japan.
As if that were not impressive enough, BTS’ dedicated ARMY streamed MOTS:7 a staggering 33.8 million times during the album’s first day on the app—a new record for biggest artist debut on the music-streaming platform.
COVID-19 may have taken away the luxury of live concerts for the time being and dampened the spirits of music lovers all over the world, but BTS is bringing holiday cheer to fans who can’t see their beloved idols in person.
The seven-member boyband currently has opened three online stores for the period of November 14, 2020 to February 14, 2021. One online shop caters to Japanese clients, the second to European fans and the third services customers in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and Taiwan.
BTS only has three exclusive pop-up shops where fans can browse items in-person—in Seoul, Tokyo and Singapore.
Located on the first floor of Plaza Singapura, BTS’ showcase is unsurprisingly amazing; it’s fun and full of gorgeous items that are nearly—but not quite—as pretty as the boys in the band.
While the Singapore shop is tiny compared to Seoul’s three-storey building, it’s full of limited edition pieces worthy of any hardcore BTS ARMY fan’s collection. The showcase will feature around 300 exclusive BTS merchandise items, from everyday items, figurines and apparel.
In the showcase, visitors can expect to find TinyTANs—animated characters modeled after band members RM, Jimin, J-Hope, Suga, Jin, V and Jung Kook; 3D posters; stationery; face towels; and Christmas-themed band merchandise coming out this December.
Exclusive ON, Black Swan and Dynamite-themed items will also be available for purchase, only at the physical shop.
The store is also set-up in a cool way; pieces are sorted and arranged according to themes and corresponding music videos, so fans will have a great time looking for special pieces relating to favourite songs.
Fans need to plan their visits to the shop carefully. While BTS’ pop-up shop is open daily from 10am to 10pm, guests need to make bookings in advance and can only visit the store a total of seven times per person, one hour maximum per visit.
Though items are limited and there will be no restocks, BTS promises that new merchandise will be added to the showcase every week.
There are a few other important rules to remember: 1) ticket holders are advised to arrive 10 to 15 minutes before their chosen time slot and get into the entry queue via registered mobile number OTP, 2) ticket holders will be issued a wristband and be directed to the respective queue lanes for safe entry check-in and temperature taking, 3) food and drinks are not allowed inside and 4) re-entry is not allowed once you have left the store.
What are you waiting for? Get your BTS fix at The Map of the Soul showcase in Plaza Singapura!
/TISG