WABI SABI GENERAL STORE

FINDING BEAUTY IN IMPERFECTION

Wabi Sabi General Store is a conceptual Japanese general store that curates and offers a wide variety of luxury handmade household goods, furniture, apparel, and stationery sourced from small businesses in Japan. Products are chosen with the wabi-sabi philosophy of finding beauty in imperfect things.

For the logo, Japandi principles of simplicity were highlighted in the selection of typeface. Minimalist thought was alluded to through the removal of the crossbar for the letter A.

The goal of the marketing was to create the promise of a new lifestyle, infused with inspiration from nature, intentional living, and the support of ethical and sustainable small businesses. The aim was to instill a mindset that perfection is not necessary for happiness – starting with your household goods.

To create this mentality, social media marketing is highly relied upon to generate consumer interest and leads. This includes quotes about the wabi-sabi philosophy and close-ups of general store items to share their unique textures.

As a luxury store, it is important that the flagship store differentiates itself from the mundane. In place of commonplace storefront posters, a simple die-cut vinyl decal has been chosen to grace the store window to allow the items to speak for themselves.

High-quality collateral further creates a sense of luxury. One of these luxury offerings is a perfect-bound, matte cover catalog that doubles as an aesthetic coffee table book (akin to Kinfolk or Blau). When displayed in homes, the catalog becomes free marketing in itself to friends and family of clientele. In addition, purchases are packaged in a 100% recycled-cotton tote to promote sustainability and reduce plastic use.