Korean-style convenience store coming to downtown Durham
DURHAM, NC—A Korean-style convenience store will open next month in downtown Durham. Kristine Suh, who has been cooking Korean food at pop-ups across Durham, plans to open Dosirak in Downtown Durham Inc.'s 300-square-foot incubator space on Main Street. The space is designed to give entrepreneurs a chance to test their ideas in the market.
Dosirak, the Korean word for lunchbox, will sell Korean to-go snacks and meals, desserts, Korean ingredients, gifts, and a wall of ramyeon (also spelled ramyun and known as ramen in Japan) instant noodles that customers can cook with hot water at the store.
Originally from China, ramen was brought to Japan over 100 years ago. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles in a flavored broth with the addition of various toppings. Japanese ramen traditionally combines flavors from many ingredients and can take over a day to prepare.
In Korea, though, ramyeon is typically of the instant variety. Using a manufacturing technique developed in Japan, ramyeon started to gain popularity in the early 1960s. Koreans now lead the world in instant ramyeon consumption, eating about 80 packages a year per capita.
Dosirak is part of an effort to encourage more women- and minority-owned businesses to open. Downtown Durham Inc. gives businesses a chance to rent the space for up to a year before letting another business take over. The incubator space is currently used by Ashleigh Bakes Daily, a cookie store that is moving into a permanent spot this summer.