Maidens Shop's Approach to Buying.

Makino: The purpose of this trip is the “Brimfield Antique Show” (the largest outdoor flea market in the U.S., commonly known as “Brim”) to be held in May. For past articles on Brim by Fuinam, seehere (place close to the speaker or where the speaker is).）」 and business meetings with our existing brand partners. In addition to that, I squeezed in a visit to Fallingwater in Pennsylvania—which I mentioned briefly earlier—between appointments.

Makino: Yes. They’ve been doing repairs on the exterior walls for a long time, but they finally finished this year. So I just had to go. It’s famous for being hard to book a tour, but I was lucky enough to get a reservation.

Makino: I’ve gone on buying trips many times in the past, but this time, the purpose of the trip might have been a little different from before.

Makino: Even before “Brimfield,” whenever I traveled to the U.S. or Europe, I would visit flea markets and secondhand shops to source vintage items. But at the Harajuku store, due to space limitations, we simply didn’t have the room or capacity to display the vintage items we’d purchased on a permanent basis. So, our only option was to sell them as part of occasional events…

Makino: However, the Jimbocho store does have a permanent space for this. The third floor is dedicated to vintage clothing. This is a major difference from the Harajuku store, and it’s a significant change for “Maidens Shop” as well.

Tanaka: Three months after opening, we realized that, surprisingly, our customers were looking for vintage clothing. That’s because many people—both men and women—are checking out the vintage section on the third floor.

Makino: In that sense, this buying trip to “Brimfield” offered a slightly different perspective than usual. In addition to the permanent collection on the third floor, we’re planning to hold an event in July featuring the items we purchased on this trip, so please look forward to that as well.

Tanaka: That might be true. I think a lot of people do go to independent thrift stores, variety shops, and furniture stores, though.

Makino: Yeah, you're right. It seems like most of them are thrift stores.

Makino: I guess the main reason is simply that we enjoy it ourselves (laughs).

Tanaka: I think so (lol)

Makino: Another reason is that “Maidens Shop” holds many business meetings in New York (“Brimfield” is held on the East Coast, just like New York).

Makino: That's right. It's precisely because I split my time evenly between negotiating deals for new items and sourcing vintage pieces that I'm able to take it easy—or rather, I can enjoy "Brimfield" as an extension of my hobby.

Tanaka: If “Brimfield” 100% goes to the U.S., it’ll turn into a fight, won’t it? It’ll be like everyone scrambling for the best items.

Makino: That's right. There are both new and vintage items. I think it's because of that sense of flexibility that I can shop more freely and pick up interesting things—or things that are a little quirky, in a good way.

Makino: I don’t think we need to sell special one-of-a-kind items or ultra-rare Levi’s pieces or anything like that. Instead, I believe it’s more important to carry vintage clothing with a cool vibe—the kind only we can pick out—and to offer it at reasonably fair prices.

Tanaka: Both Makino and I usually like “slightly older American-made clothes”—even though, in a sense, they aren’t that valuable on the vintage market—and we actually wear them ourselves. After all, as buyers, we want to offer items that we personally like, so I feel like we instinctively source those kinds of vintage pieces as an extension of our everyday tastes.

Tanaka: So even if it’s that thin, flimsy Pakistani cotton—the kind made in Pakistan with a 100% weave that’s generally low-quality and prone to wrinkling—which I might not pick up at other vintage stores, if the fit is good and the color and design are right, I’ll buy it without hesitation.

Makino: That's exactly right. I think we can't waver on that point.