This is 3Bits & Change, an email about building a service and retail business. This one was initially written to the background noise of an Airbus A330neo and finished to Starbucks overhead groves while drinking the third coffee of the day. #jetlag
Good day,
A few days ago was my last day in Japan (for this trip). I’m back in the states. Delta, thanks for the lift. It’s both wonderful and odd to take off at 4:25PM on a Thursday and land at 2:00PM on Thursday. All that remains is acclimating to routine, getting the knives in stock, telling stories and wrestling with hunger while WIDE AWAKE at 2:30 AM. So strange.
I had the opportunity to shop the kitchen street in Tokyo on my last day. Here are three observations.
Artisans… group up
Back in the day, the textile makers clustered together. So also the potters and the knife makers in their respective parts of the city, surrounding the ruling family. In Tokyo, that tradition continues today. Some 17 knife shops are listed in the picture above. I think we walked into more like ~30 in a few rainy morning hours. It was wonderful.
One of the benefits of a long history and a set of artisans in one area is that it can support single product stores. I’ve never seen one of these before… it’s a store that ONLY sells sharpening stones and stone sharpening accessories. Really. I’m still baffled by this one. American’s don’t sharpen much less via stones, not even the working chefs at scale. Here is a store selling JUST stone sharpening stuffs!
Displays
I’ve had a hesitation to display knives on magnets, on walls. Too many knives on the wall makes for a special kind of ‘feel’ in a store. The number might actually be one. I don’t think the feel is a good one.
So, I’ve been looking for inspiration on displays while wrestling with limited square footage and a desire to carry more knife SKUs. Afterall, you can’t sell what’s not in a store. Further, you can’t really buy what’s not in a store.
The space above is modern, and clean, and bright. It’s amazing. It’s also not likely what we’ll do in the short term. But, I’m inspired by it. It’s also the most clear experience I’ve had being able to pick up knives while having them “under glass” in a way that makes them special and nudges the user to lean over and consider them… to make a shopping moment a successful moment.
There are blends of this idea. These are not yet successful to my mind. As soon as knives go on the wall…
Scenes from Tokyo
Just a few snaps and vids from Tokyo to wrap up this issue. Enjoy!
Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Change
We’re folding the new inventory into the shop so it’s ready for you to purchase. Shout if you’d like to see something.
I snagged this chef’s knife from Takefu that I’m going to use at home for a bit to get a sense of it. It’s woah in person. How is it in this video?
Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
I’m going to grab some sushi grade salmon this weekend to start working with this one!
Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
On Your Way
I’ve been cutting a few consolidated videos of the trip. I’ll have those along in an issue next week.
Enjoy Saturday!
Follow Vivront.com on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
Follow @josephrueter on Instagram or Linkedin.
Order kitchen knives sharpened or give the gift of sharp at Vivront.com.
👏👏👏