[FUKUSUKEDO] Who knew Vintage Kimonos, scraps of cloth, and antiques were sold in Tabata…

この記事は英語によって書かれています、日本語文が読みたい方はこちらからどうぞ
（This article is written in English If you would like to read Japanese sentences please click here）
→【福助堂】田端にこんなアンティーク着物、はぎれ、骨董品が売ってるなんて知らなかった・・・

Tabata’s Vintage Kimono Shop [FUKUSEIDO]

“What kind of shop is this?”

That is what came to my mind every time I passed by the shop.

The shop sign reads, “vintage arts, vintage kimonos, cafe”

I hardly had any occasions to wear kimonos so I had no reason going in, but this time I decided to check it out.

Nearly Overflowing Amount of Fabric, Kimonos & Sashes

As soon as I got into the shop, OMG, I’ve never seen so much fabric before!!

Fabric, fabric, fabric everywhere

Everywhere you look, there is fabric!

There are over 5,000 items in the store, and it seems like the shop owner wouldn’t know what she has…

I would have never guessed what the inside looks like from the appearance of the shop, so I was in shock in a good way.

Inside the shop, there was a nostalgic smell of grandma’s house with some uptempo oldies music.

The owner of the shop, Ms. Arata, working on a project at the shop.

There was a good vibe throughout the inside of FUKUSUKEDO.

Not many places sell fabric as small as 10 cm, which brings many shoppers from all over Japan to visit FUKUSUKEDO

A unique variety of people shop at the store! Kimono-loving foreigners, people who are looking for kimonos for Japanese classical plays and more…

Many goods made from old kimono fabric

There are many cute goods made from old kimono fabric.

Such as this cloth brooch

Another kimono fabric brooch

Some ornaments

Macaroon-shaped family crest

Stuffed animals

Monkey made from the seeds of balloon plants and cloth

Everything in the shop is handmade and cute.

Interview with Ms. Arata – Owner of FUKUSUKEDO

Hello ~

Welcome to FUKUSUKEDO!

I was warmly welcomed by the owner Ms. Arata.

Thank you for your time today!

No Problem!

Let’s get started. First of all, why did you open FUKUSUKEDO?

Well, one of the reasons I opened FUKUSUKEDO is because of my love for kimonos, so I was interested in this kind of business. Also this property was up for rent so my Friend Mano-San and I decided to open FUKUSUKEDO at this location. We started out as an antique shop, but now we have more kimonos and fabric here.

Some of the antique goods

When did you both open this shop?

It has been 18 years since our doors opened.

Are all the goods here handmade?

Yes, our staff make them by hand, including myself.

Some unique goods made from green seeds from the plant named balloon plant

The scraps of cloth we sell here are also from old kimonos.
Because we have lots of varieties, people come to our shop from all over the country.

I see, and there is also a fabric street-mall nearby, so I bet that brings more customers to your shop.

Scene of the workshop located in the back of the shop.Lots of goods are made here.

What kind of people come visit your store?

Our main goods here are fabric and kimonos, so the majority of our customers are elderly folk.
Oh, and also some foreigners and theatrical people as well!

They also have some handcraft classes and kimono-dressing classes.

What is the most expensive item sold here?

Maybe this staircase dresser.
It was so hard to even bring it into the shop… We had to take the windows out and somehow we put it through…

Well, if you want to have this in your place, you probably have to build the house just for it. Haha.

This unique staircase dresser is sold here for 420,000 Yen.

What do you think about the future of kimonos?

To be honest, since the younger generations don’t really wear kimonos as much as people used to, kimonos might be gone in the future.
Kimonos have to be worn. Otherwise, the fabrics go bad quick.Kimonos are a limited resource like oil.

“Kimonos are a limited resource”

It was interesting to hear that from Ms. Arata.

With the advanced technology, some kimonos are machine-made nowadays. However, Ms. Arata stated that she can tell the difference with the texture of the fabric.

Even though they are both 100% Cotton, the quality is way different.

Kimonos used to be made with silk crepe, but that’s not the case anymore.

Fabric getting damaged is not something we can avoid, so if it cannot be used as a kimono anymore, we can still use it as some sort of good. Once people are exposed to more kimono materials, they can get to know it, and eventually, I want more people to be interested in kimonos and wear them.

I want kimonos to be known more.

That statement shows a true love for kimonos.

Please visit this shop, even if you are just a tiny bit interested in kimonos.

Worker of FUKUSUKEDO

The owner, Ms. Arata

Ms. Arata has a lovely smile and personality. She opened FUKUSUKEDO with her friend, Mano-San, and passion for kimonos.
She is a dog lover as well. Don’t forget to say hi if you see her walking about with her two huge dogs.

Shop info

(Translated by Ryo Sato)