Resumen de Aestheticizing authenticity: entrepreneurial practices of business owners in Seoul’s gentrifying neighbourhood
This study advances our understanding of the gentrification aesthetic by focusing on the organizational identity and entrepreneurial practices of gentrifying business owners that directly influence the neighbourhood’s visual environment. Drawing on in-depth interviews with business owners in Yeonnam, a gentrifying neighbourhood in Seoul, South Korea, this paper unveils two main findings. First, gentrifying business owners rely on authenticity narratives to articulate their organizational identity. Second, business owners’ understanding of business identity shapes their decisions regarding neighbourhood selection and store designs. Their decisions collectively impact the neighbourhood’s commercial aesthetics and identity.
