Hello everyone,
Today, I’d like to share the story of a challenge I recently took on: opening a one-day-only wagashi pop-up shop.
Actually, one of my future goals is to sell my handmade wagashi online through a web shop. But before that, I wanted to test things out in a real-world setting and see: “How well will my sweets sell?” and “What kinds of products are people looking for?”
At first, I thought about joining a local market or event. I looked into a few options, but most were already closed to applications or were scheduled far in the future, so I couldn’t find any opportunities that would allow me to start right away.
Driven by a strong desire to “just get started,” I decided to hold my own sales event using a rental kitchen.
Step One: Finding a Venue
The first task was to find a rental kitchen with a confectionery manufacturing license. I wanted to keep costs low, so I compared various places in terms of price and facilities. Eventually, I found a spot in Higashi-Osaka called Harappa Antnest.
When I went to check it out, I was impressed by the stylish and clean interior. It felt like a perfect fit. But just as I was getting excited, the owner told me the space was scheduled to close at the end of July!
Although I was disappointed—especially since I had hoped to use the venue regularly—I decided to treat this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and go ahead with my test sale there.
Product Ideas and Goal-Setting: Lots to Think About
I started by picking a few ideas from my “concept notebook,” then refined them through trial and error until I finalized the wagashi lineup.
Since this was my very first time selling, everything was uncertain—Would people even show up? How many items would I sell? But instead of worrying too much, I set three tiers of goals:
Minimum Goal: Earn more than the rental fee
Next Goal: Cover ingredient costs and avoid going into the red
Final Goal: Sell out everything I can make in one day by myself!
I had family and friends try the prototypes and give feedback to help improve the final flavors and appearance.
Here Are the Products I Offered:
My wagashi-making concept is:
“Blending traditional Japanese confectionery with modern elements to create wagashi that people all over the world can enjoy.”
Wagashi has always evolved with the times. While some styles and shapes remain unchanged for generations, many have changed to suit the preferences of each era. As modern-day wagashi chefs, I believe our mission is to continue that evolution and create new forms of wagashi.
With that vision in mind, I developed my products—hoping to make something that people not only in Japan, but around the world, can enjoy.
For the packaging, I wanted something that retained the essence of wagashi but had a modern, eye-catching design—without being too flashy.
After much deliberation, I went to Shimojima Package Plaza and bought a bunch of packaging materials that caught my eye. I tried different combinations and chose the ones that looked the most balanced and appealing.
My First Time Doing Promotion!
As the sales date approached, I shifted my focus to promoting the event and attracting customers.
Here’s what I tried:
- Sharing on social media like Instagram
- Spreading the word among past workshop participants and acquaintances
- Creating and distributing flyers
And then… I attempted my first-ever flyer drop. I walked around a 1-kilometer radius from the venue, spending half a day slipping flyers into mailboxes in the blazing summer heat.
It was sweaty, exhausting work, and honestly, I felt a bit awkward at first—but then I thought, “Whatever happens, happens!” and just pushed through (haha).
What I realized was… flyering is really hard!
From now on, I’ll at least glance at the flyers in my mailbox before tossing them—they’re the result of someone’s hard work!
In the next post, I’ll share what happened on the actual day:
Who came?
Did the wagashi sell?
Stay tuned for the exciting, nerve-wracking Main Event report!