Now open in Oakland is UMAMI MART, a spiffy new shop specializing in kitchen and barware from Japan. (Cue cool product lust now.) Owners Yoko Kumano and Kayoko Akabori have been selling their special goods online for the past couple of years, but now they have this brand-new, brick-and-mortar shop designed by their pal Anders Arhøj from Copenhagen, Denmark (they’re describing the space as “Shinto classicism meets Scandinavian modernism”).
The shop include more cocktail gear, as well as coffee and tea accessories. Look for upcoming events, art exhibitions, and demonstrations. Hours are Tue-Sat 11am-6pm, Sun 12pm-5pm.
This is a project through Popuphood, which “curates independent retail and small businesses into previously vacant storefronts and negotiate[s] free rent for them. The goal is to incubate these retailers toward signing a lease for long-term positive economic impact.” Cool, right? 815 Broadway at 8th St., Oakland, 510-575-9152.
The interior of Umami Mart. Photo by Yoko Kumano.
