Two female entrepreneurs have opened a new store called Umami Mart, focused exclusively on Japanese bar and kitchenware products.
Friends since college, Kayoko Akabori and Yoko Kumano (pictured right) opened the store in Oakland’s historical district after operating a blog and online business selling Japanese wares and offering Japanese cooking and cocktail tips from contributors worldwide.
“We have the cocktail guide, we have a beer guide, we have a shochu guide. We also have a writer who writes often about sake,” Kumano told the Oakland North newspaper. “Beverages are the start of your meal,” she said.
In 2010, the business partners began selling bar and kitchenware from Japan online, starting with a small collection and expanding as customers showed a voracious interest in Japanese cocktail ware. They worked especially hard to source hard-to-find items and were able to negotiate exclusive deals with certain suppliers, according to the report, including bell-style jiggers used to measure drinks and the Umami Mart travel mug that was designed specifically for the store owners.
“Specializing right now really makes sense, especially for an online store,” Kumano said. “If you can find it anywhere like on Amazon, then why would they come to Umami Mart?”
The idea for a storefront only came up about six months ago when they were outgrowing their garage “warehouse” and wanted to host drink or food tasting events.
“Then we were invited by Popuphood, a neighborhood initiative that was started not even a year ago, where they give prospective retailers six months rent free,” Akabori said. “They were keen on letting us try it out, and the space was empty, miraculously.”
The Web site continues to serve customers who can still buy products online and offers tips on how to use the products available online and in the store.
“One of us goes to Japan and talks to the distributor or manufacturer. We are always checking the quality of our products. It’s just Kayoko and I, so we know everything about everything in the store,” Kumano said.
In the future, the owners hope to expand the store to include imported high-quality Japanese food, such as seaweed and condiments.
Writing about drinking started out as a hobby, Akabori said in the report. “That is why it is so amazing that we are living the dream.”
