Saturday, October 24, 2015

Experience Asia Festival 2015, Reflections

A few weeks ago we vendored at a really cool event and I've just realized I totally forgot to write up a review. This year was the 11th annual Experience Asia Festival in Tallahassee, FL. I'd never even heard of it before until an acquaintance happened to mention last month that it was coming up soon. Thinking that it sounded like an interesting venue, I emailed their event organizer to see if they had room for another booth. Though it was very last minute they were so gracious, kind and informative. They got us registered within a day, even though the official cutoff time for registering had already passed. When we arrived, there was a large group of volunteers waiting to help us set up our tent and the rest of our things. It was a very cool perk, even though I wasn't really sure what to tell them to help with because I'm not used to having such a large group of help. They even came back at the end of the day to help us pack up. This was an outdoor event and a bit blustery, so I've put it in my notes to think up a better method to display the products so that they won't fly away! ;) We were set up right next to the stage and they had a lot excellent entertainment. I enjoyed catching bits of dances from all over Asia. And the Matsuriza taiko drumming troupe was the highlight of the day for our ears. We could also smell all the tasty foods nearby, but sadly were a bit too busy to run and get some. And... our customers were fabulous! I had the opportunity to dress two lovely young ladies, and they were wonderfully patient and curious. I even got heartfelt hugs from the proud new owner of a beautiful garnet haori. When you're weary from a fun but exhausting day of kimono sales, nothing beats a genuinely thrilled customer coming back for a quick hug of appreciation.





Wednesday, October 21, 2015

The search for men's kitsuke items

I've gotten a lot of requests in the last few months for more men's kimono items. While I'm certainly happy to oblige them, I think it's worth noting that this is turning out to be an interesting challenge. While on a search to try to find these items, I've started wonder about why it is that they are so hard to come by. The majority of my stock is vintage, and while I do carry some new items, these tend to be pricey and I personally feel that having a lot of merchandise to choose from that is affordable for all is of more importance. While thinking about all of this, I have come up with a little theory. Women's vintage items are probably more prolific because a) they were better taken care of, and b) they were probably not used as often. Men's daily activities would have been much more hard on their clothing, making them not last nearly as long. And women probably had more of a wardrobe to choose from than men, so they're items would be less worn out overall because they weren't in constant use. Again, this is just a crazy theory. ;)

Monday, October 19, 2015

We're live!

We've completed the most important parts of the website and we're now fully operational. New store items are being added and we look forward to serving you! If you've got any thoughts on what we could be doing better, or things you'd like to see in the shop leave a comment or drop us a line at sakikonokimonoya@gmail.com, and thank you for your patience while we set all of this up!

Sunday, October 11, 2015

And so it begins...

Well we've almost got the web store up and ready for public use. All parts may not be functioning to begin with  but I'm hoping to make some really useful and entertaining content that will help customers make to make educated purchases and learn more about kimono. Whether or not you're new to Japanese kimono or this an old and cherished topic for you, I really hope you'll enjoy this site and what it has to offer. More to come soon, so keep  your eyes peeled.