The greenery of Yoyogi Park spreads out before you, and Yoyogi Hachiman Shrine sits behind you. This time, 【FOCUS IT.] is a store and gallery "【FOCUS IT.PARKERand candles that can only be purchased there.Earl of East (EARL OF EAST)The story of the "〉".
The exterior of the "Parker" is impressive with its brick.
Parker, operated by the architecture firm Tokyo pm., is a store, gallery, and event space on the first floor, a café on the second floor, and an office on the third floor. The owner is Yosuke Yamamoto, who is also an architect.
Yosuke Yamamoto is the owner of Parker and also works as an architect.
I used to have an office in Daikanyama, but one day I happened to pass by this building and fell in love with it at first sight. It wasn't for rent, but I saw the contact information for the management company, so I contacted them right away.
Thanks to negotiations, the company moved to this location two years ago. The company decided to start a multi-faceted operation.
The first floor is a store and gallery, and the second floor is a café, but I have design work to do, so I can only open the café occasionally. We plan to open both floors by the end of this summer.
The cafe space on the second floor is lined with original pendant lights and tables designed by Mr. Yamamoto, as well as lighting purchased from overseas. All are available for purchase.
The first floor is frequently used as a studio.
As Mr. Yamamoto said, the days it is open are really only for a limited period of time. Moreover, they are irregular. Despite this, many people visit the store on the days it is open. They are looking for candles from the London aroma brand "Earl of East," which can only be purchased here in Japan.
Candles by [Earl of East]. The wick is made of natural cotton and the jar is an amber-colored jar used by pharmacists.
There are many candles on the market, all of which smell great, and it is commonplace to say that they are organic. What is special about Earl of East's candles? It is the "journey and memories" that are contained in the candles.
Here is an interview with Nico and Paul, representatives of "Earl of East," who came to Japan for the first time from their home country of London to hold a workshop at "Parker.
Nico (left) and Paul (right) of Earl of East.
-Please start by telling us how the two of you met.
Nico：We have always seen each other because we live close to each other, but it was at a local market in London that we first had a solid conversation.
-that he was selling candles at that market.
Nico: No, we were both collecting and selling vintage German and French goods.
Paul: We were both selling reasonably well. But when I looked around at the vendors, there was no one selling ready-made goods except for us. Everyone was selling handmade goods. We talked about it and decided to make candles, which we had been interested in for a long time.
-The concept of the brand is "travel and memory". Does this mean that the two of you are recreating your travels and memories through smell?
Nico: Yes, that's right. For example, the "SMOKE AND MUSK" fragrance was created after we traveled to California together. During that trip, we had many encounters that would lead to future business opportunities, which inspired the scent. On the other hand, "GREEN HOUSE" was inspired by my childhood memories of spending time in my grandparents' garden in Greece, and "WILD FLOWER" was inspired by my grandparents' English garden. In this way, each of our products incorporates a different journey and memory into the fragrance.
Paul: Scent, memory, and emotion. For example, in everyday life, a whiff of a scent can bring back memories of a scene, right? We want to express something similar with these candles.
-There are some fragrances inspired by Japanese bathing culture, aren't there?
Nico: This series is called "Bathing Line" and is very popular in London. But this is the only fragrance I created with my imagination. After all, this is my first visit to Japan (laughs).
Paul: I am very interested in Japanese culture in general, but especially in the custom of taking a bath every day. That is why the name of this series is "Bathing Line. In addition to candles, we also sell bath salts and aroma oils.
Bathing Line" has a black label with white lettering. All have a mellow aroma.
-It's hard to describe in words how it smells, but it smells good anyway (laughs).
Nico: Thanks (laughs). One thing I think is that many people have this image of floral being feminine and spicy being masculine, but I think that categorization is wrong. Discussing these aspects is one of the pleasures of the workshop. I am looking forward to hearing what kind of image Japanese people have of fragrance. (*The workshop has already ended.)
Soy wax derived from 100% soybeans, the raw material for candles.
In addition to candles, the company also sells bundles of dried sage and incense.
In London, tickets were sold out immediately when the workshop was held. Here in Japan, the workshops were held several times, all of which reached their maximum capacity and were a great success.
With this opportunity, "Parker" will function as the Japanese distributor for "Earl of East" from now on. It should not be long before you will be able to purchase these products outside of Tokyo.
Parker" and "Earl of the East" have been attracting attention even before the full-fledged launch. Keep your eyes peeled for their future moves. For information on opening dates, etc., please contactInstagramThe information can be confirmed from the following
Text_Keisuke Kimura
PARKER
Address: 5-66-5 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Phone: 03-6416-8115
parker.tokyo
