Shabon is a vintage store that opened in 1998 on Beverly Blvd. It carried a wide range of Victorian and designer vintage clothing, and because of its proximity to Hollywood, the store was frequented by stylists and models. The Shabon will end its history on Beverly Blvd and relocate to Melrose Ave in November or December 2022.
The location is in West Hollywood, in a building that is currently used as a business office and does not have show windows like a typical retail store. Although it is not flashy, it has the perfect atmosphere for a vintage clothing store, including a secluded atmosphere. We plan to renovate this building and reopen Shabon.
This photo was taken around May 2022, when the office furniture was still in place. Since these office furniture pieces will no longer be needed, we intend to utilize them in the interior as much as possible. I am of the nature that it is a waste to have good materials that can still be used thrown away, so I try to reuse usable items as much as possible.
The first step is to sort out usable and unusable materials. It would be nice if we could use all of them, but furniture made of cheap wood is too labor intensive to disassemble and reuse. Therefore, we plan to prioritize the use of good materials.
The cabinet will be reused as is. It will be used as a space for bags and general goods.
We took apart a table that had no place to put it and made benches, shelves, and step stools. With good materials, even a simple design can look good enough. The process of dismantling and creating something new is exactly the same as remaking something using old clothes, and I think the important part is to bring out the individuality of the material itself to the fullest.
I would like to use some of these small parts and other materials. How to use the individuality of materials that have already been processed is where the artist's experience is required.
In the meantime, we have made a book stand (although we have not yet decided if we will sell books). A book stand is an item with few unique designs because most book stands have simple designs. This book stand is also simple, but I think it looks different just because it is made of scrap wood. We tend to focus on designs that emphasize the appearance of everything, but I would like to design and propose products that include the history and story behind the design. I am currently preparing for Shabon, hoping to create a space where people can feel not only the appearance, but also the nostalgia and backstory.