Why Hamacho?
We have touched on the store design and lineup of T-House New Balance, but there is one question that occurred to me. Why did New Balance set up a store in Hamacho, a location that is not often associated with fashion or sneakers?
The decision to open the store was made later, and it originally started with the creation of the atelier for TDS, which was launched in 2012. There are research and development centers for each category, such as in the U.S. for running and in the U.K. for soccer, but there were none for the lifestyle category. As sports and daily life are becoming more and more closely connected, we felt it was important to create a place for research.
The first candidate was the east side of Tokyo. This was because it was an area where craftsmanship had taken root, with many artisans making Tabi Shoes, Geta (Japanese clogs), and other items from the past. Asakusa, Kuramae, Kiyosumi-Shirakawa... After visiting many places, we finally arrived at Hamacho.
Under the slogan of "a town where you can see handcrafts," Hamamachi is attracting unique stores that are brimming with craftsmanship. While good old stores stand side by side, new stores such as T-House New Balance are opening one after another. This mix of shops has an affinity with "New Balance," and is one of Hamamachi's greatest attractions, according to Mr. Kato. And the "T-HOUSE New Balance," which was introduced in the previous issue, is also a new shop in the area.Single OThe horizontal connections are also expanding, starting with "The
"The neighborhood café, "Hama HouseI often use "Single O" for meetings. The overseas team seemed to like "Single O" so much that they went there every day during their visit to Japan (laughs). (Laughs) The opposite is also true: staff from nearby stores often come to this store and wear New Balance shoes. After all, Hamacho is a destination, a place where people go with a purpose in mind. However, it is also true that not many people know where the stores are located. So, I think it is a wonderful trend that we are beginning to introduce our customers to each other's stores.
Hamamachi fosters a new culture while preserving the traditional streetscape. What are your expectations for the future development of the town?
It has been two years since we opened, and the flow of people has steadily increased as various stores have opened during that time. Hamacho is an area where you can enjoy stores that are unique in Japan and unique buying experiences there. If more stores with such originality are opened in the future, I think the town will become even more vibrant.
