East Coast Meets Far East

Omoi Gift shop brings Japanese style to Philadelphia

Over the past few years, there has been a burgeoning trend across the United States of graphic prints in our apparel, especially amongst the hip-hop crowd. The Japanese have also had such a trend happening halfway across the world. So which inspired which? Perhaps there is no easy answer to this conundrum except to say that both cultures mutually benefit from each other’s leaps in fashion trends. Walking into Omoi on 1608 Pine Street with its bright yellow walls and displays of Japanese culture galore, you’ll most likely find Ms. Elizabeth Sieber, owner, arranging her newest finds.

“There’s probably a mixing of the two cultures happening, but the Japanese are definitely more about pushing boundaries,” Sieber says. “They absolutely love hip-hop over there.” She goes on to say that the youth are so used to wearing uniforms to school that on their free time they scurry off to city parks to show off their fashion-forward style.

Sieber first fell in love with Japan while studying abroad for a semester in high school and a semester in college. She primarily lived in the Kansai region, staying in Kobe in high school, and Osaka in college. During her stay, she began collecting trinkets and doodads and wondered why there wasn’t yet a place stateside that made these things available to Philadelphians.

In the last three years, Omoi has grown and taken on quite a following. Shoppers travel far and wide to visit this cute little shop. Omoi has even undergone a remodel which allows the space to show off more merchandise. There is a cornucopia of products to be seen here: toys, clothes, books, stationary, magazines, jewelry, kitchen gadgets and more. Sieber says her mission is to be the place that has a gift for everyone.

The fashion of Japan is an art form. Sieber hand-picks every t-shirt using local designers and a couple artist collectives which represent “the little guy.” She focuses on cool graphic prints and interesting color combinations. While each region of Japan has its own characteristic style, her favorite is Osaka.

“If Tokyo was like New York, then I would liken Osaka to Philadelphia. Tokyo has the most recent fashion trends, but Osaka is more funky and creative about their style.”

The global economic slump doesn’t seem to be affecting her business. People stream in and out sighing “oohs” and “awws” at the cute teapots and chopsticks. Gift buyers will always need a place to find that one-of-a-kind gift, Sieber takes great care in tailoring the store’s merchandise towards the shoppers’ economic budget. While there is a lot of variety, it is almost assured that you will find that one perfect gift you need.

Soon to come, Omoi will have a web store as well. Their already popular website and blog at http://www.omoionline.com shows updates of new merchandise that flows in, complete with great pictures and descriptions. The awesome staff is really familiar with the products and posts their favorite things to keep the public excited about the store. With the launch of the online shop, even more specialized and weirdly cool stuff will become available.

Need some gift ideas? Check out the newest things the staff is excited about:

Shinzi Katoh collection: a line of everything from towels to pens to notebooks to teapots, all with cute animal characters.

Superheadz camera: These professional cameras use 35 mm film and have settings for different sizes of pictures and effects. Plus, super cool Power Ranger dude on the box.

Kokeshi Dolls: For the more traditional or sophisticated art collector, kokeshi dolls are one of the first collector items in old Japan. They are hand-crafted and hand-painted in Kyoto. Originally, travelers in Japan while visiting different areas would collect these dolls which were unique to each region.

Bear Paw Gloves: the perfect gift for the young ones in your life, these cute little gloves have little bear paws pictured on the insides of the palms. They come in infant, toddler, and child size.

Bento Boxes: Beautiful boxes that are microwave-safe are like Japanese tupperware. Each piece stacks neatly into the next.

Badger Face Sake Set: For sake-drinking’s sake, these adorable little glasses have badger faces painted on them.