Today we’d like to introduce you to Yuichi Munehiro.
Hi Yuichi, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I joined HIGHTIDE, the Japanese parent company of HIGHTIDE USA, in 2000. HIGHTIDE is a brand based in Fukuoka, Japan, specializing in stationery and lifestyle goods. I started my career at the Tokyo branch in a sales position, worked in sales for four years, then joined the product development department at the Fukuoka headquarters. After three years overseeing product planning, I transitioned to Hobonichi, where I worked as the Hobonichi Techo (Techo means a planner in Japanese) project manager for four years.
Around the end of my four-year tenure at Hobonichi, the founder of HIGHTIDE was retiring. I returned to HIGHTIDE as an executive to establish the company under a new structure. Upon my return, inspired by my four years at Hobonichi, I made it my mission to improve communication with end users. At that time, HIGHTIDE primarily engaged with retail buyers as a manufacturer, with minimal interaction with actual users of HIGHTIDE products. In 2016, to address this, I renovated the warehouse space on the first floor of the Fukuoka headquarters and opened the very first HIGHTIDE retail store. Rather than focusing solely on retail sales, this space aimed to facilitate encounters with users. We set up a coffee stand and emphasized its role as a place for interaction with the local community.
Subsequently, developers from ROW DTLA, after seeing our Fukuoka store, approached us about opening a store at ROW DTLA.
We opened our flagship store, but generating satisfactory sales proved challenging. As a company, we felt it was premature to prioritize retail as a core business. Although the opportunity to open a store in LA was appealing, we were somewhat hesitant. However, with an increasing interest in HIGHTIDE products from overseas and a growing demand for unique Japanese culture and goods not yet available in the US, the prospect of opening in LA became more compelling. We saw it as an opportunity for HIGHTIDE to expand into new territories beyond just our products.
In September 2017, we received an invitation from ROW DTLA, and in November, we traveled to LA as our first research trip. By December, we had decided to open up a store, and we established the local entity, HIGHTIDE USA.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
After conducting an on-site inspection in Los Angeles in November 2017, we solidified our determination to open a store, and by the following December, we had established the US entity, HIGHTIDE USA. Regarding the store, navigating various contracts and dealings with US authorities was challenging, especially since we had almost no acquaintances in America. Unsure of where to turn for interior design or what steps to take, we sought advice from the president of a local construction company in Fukuoka, whom we were familiar with and had previously built fixtures for our Fukuoka store. We decided to manufacture the fixtures in Japan, dismantle them for shipping by sea to the US, and then assemble and install them on-site. As we progressed with fixture installation, we iterated on changes and revisions, managing to somehow clear administrative hurdles such as building permits. Ultimately, on July 5, 2018, we quietly managed to open HIGHTIDE STORE DTLA. We received substantial assistance from individuals we met along the way in the US, which helped us navigate the process and open successfully.
Initially, our plan was to establish the local entity, open the store, get the wholesale department on track, train individuals capable of managing the store, and then return to Japan within a year. I was scheduled to supervise the American operations periodically through regular trips. However, within the first year, the business struggled to gain momentum, and just as we were grappling with these challenges, the pandemic struck, leaving the newly launched store and wholesale business in uncertainty. Unable to return to Japan, I found myself unexpectedly spending five and a half years in the United States.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business?
HIGHTIDE is a brand established in Fukuoka, Japan in 1994, specializing in office supplies and stationery. While our products evoke American and European nostalgia, their design and functionality have been developed with the utmost care using cutting-edge technology.
In addition to the popular HIGHTIDE planners, our brand offers a number of product lines, including HIGHTIDE, Penco, Nähe, and New Retro, each with its own distinct style. We also offer daily essentials from various Japanese makers, their uses ranging from the office to school to home, from Japanese incense to playful stickers.
HIGHTIDE STORE DTLA opened in the summer of 2017, and CORNERSHOP BROOKLYN followed in 2021. Both stores are inspired by “bunbogu-ya,” a local stationery store that always existed near a school, a place familiar to anyone who grew up in Japan. In these small stores, shelves were crammed with notebooks, pencils, erasers, pen cases, cheap sweets, and toys. For students with little pocket money, these stores served as a place to hang out, alone or with friends. Our DTLA location was expanded to the next door in November 2023, and we call the space HIGHTIDE ANNEX, where we feature well-made and rare brands from Japan and the U.S.
At HIGHTIDE STORE DTLA, we host various pop-ups and feature Japanese makers and local artists. CORNERSHOP BROOKLYN shares its humble space with The Moss and Green, a Japanese kokedama bonsai studio and plant shop. Nested in the two megalopolises of Los Angeles and New York, we hope to offer a haven for the community that inspires slow living and self-care.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you, and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Firstly, my heart goes out to those who have endured hardships during the pandemic, and I sincerely hope that we never face such a situation again.
Amidst the pandemic, activities like casually going out to meet friends, dining out, or shopping at stores, which we used to take for granted, have become challenging. While these experiences have become incredibly precious due to the pandemic, it has also made us realize how fragile the civilization we have built is. In a sense, it has prompted us to reexamine the true essence of our lives.
Personally, through the pandemic, I felt the warmth of others and gained a sense of acceptance from the American people for our store and company. Our DTLA store was also forced to close for a while, and we spent an uncertain period wondering when we could reopen. However, as the lockdown began, we started to see a gradual increase in orders for our online shop, which we hadn’t focused on much before. In response, we asked our staff, who were confined to their homes, to upload products that hadn’t yet been added to the online shop, review product descriptions and images, and overall enhance the online shopping experience. In doing so, receiving warm comments from customers during the ordering process made us feel a sense of connection with others, even amidst loneliness and anxiety.
The movement to support small businesses, especially as a newcomer to business in the United States, was deeply appreciated. It made us feel that we were gradually being accepted into local community, even in such circumstances, leading to a positive boost in confidence. I remember this feeling vividly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hightidestoredtla.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hightidestore_dtla/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hightidestoredtla
- Wholesale: https://hightide-usa.com/wholesale/
Image Credits
Sean Hazen
Hanako Ohashi
