Ginza×CSR・CSV Vol.32 ITOYA

• On the second floor, we have an area for writing letters. We lend fountain pens and other writing instruments. It is a good opportunity for those who have never used a fountain pen to try writing with one. We have a post box inside the store so that letters can be posted before leaving the store. We also carry stamps that are exclusively sold at our store. I think many of us used to write letters in our own room or at the office, but my idea is to offer a place where people want to come to write their letters.

• On the fifth floor, we have created Nomad’s Nook, an area targeting remote workers. Stationery was mostly used inside, in the study or workplace, but working styles have become diversified with the times and many people take their tablets with them to do work outside. Stationery has come to be used on the move. On this floor, we have gathered attractive items, including rucksacks and rain shoes, to be used for work. On the eleventh floor we have a vegetable factory, where we hydroponically cultivate vegetables, which are served at the café on the twelfth floor. You can come here for tea or to have a meal in a relaxed atmosphere.

A more creative relationship between humans and stationery

• ─ You have definitely created a space that goes far beyond the conventional image of a stationery store.
• My constant wish is to make this store a place where people can hit upon novel ideas just walking around.
  
  We started discussing what kind of place we would create three years before we renovated this building four years ago. I must say we surprised ourselves when we reopened, and our customers were even more astonished at how changed we were. Then, we spent one year making adjustments to reflect comments received from our customers as well as what we noticed along the way. That is how we reached where we stand now. It took much courage to build a completely new building, but if we hadn’t restarted from scrap, I don’t think we would ever have had these new ideas. Therefore, it is important to both pass on traditions and to take on new challenges.
• ─ You have hosted many different type of events, as well.
• Opening a hall on the basement floor and a business lounge on the tenth floor, we have launched a spatial planning and management business. In autumn 2018, we held an event called “INK. Ink ink! Welcome to Ink Swamp.” The idea was to get people “immersed in ink.” Ink can be very fascinating. We collected 1000 different types of ink for customers to try and also offered them for sale, and it turned out to be a very popular event. Before, most people would come to purchase ink because they possessed a fountain pen, but recently, some people look for fountain pens because they like to use ink or because they want to try blending their own ink. I value the story behind each purchase – not just the “I bought this pen because I wanted it” sort of story the excitement of envisioning, “what would life be like if I bought this pen?”

ITOYA’s unchanged founding spirit: taking good care of our treasures

• ─ As you evolve with the time, what is something that you unchangingly value?
• We would like to be a place where people come not because ”ITOYA has everything” but because “ITOYA’s selection of products is reliable.” That is why we have a Pen Care Room in our fine writing instruments corner to offer repair and adjustment services, so that our customers can use their favorite items for a a long period of time.
• ─ Using our favorite items with care, for the longest time. You have certainly passed down the ecological spirit of your founders.

• When we reopened the Ginza Main Store in 2015, we made a brochure containing our vision, mission and values to distribute to our corporate customers and employees. In addition to our vision and values, it introduces the world we seek to create and the story of our founding. We encourage new employees and part-time workers to read it aloud together and return to it whenever something happens.
• ─ I am impressed that you have your employees read it aloud.

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  Our treasured values
  ・Discovering new things
  ・Continued use
  ・Prizing human relations
• ─ Before we close, please tell me about your special feelings for Ginza.
• I believe that we have been able to come this far, sailing through changing times, only because we are located in Ginza. We are not only determined to maintain the quality of our product, but seek to create a place where different people can come together, by making our store a comfortable place for everyone.