From a Ramen Cart to My Paper Shop: Meet Okeya Stationery Co.
I picked out Okeya Stationery Co. for 5 Hearts Paper at Spooky Little Craft Fest. My selection ended up with a little bit of everything I like to put on a page: a dot-grid journal with a kind message, gingham in colors I’d use year-round, and a roll of washi with a whole mushroom village on it. Once I started reading about the artists behind those pieces, I found out that imagining little worlds is something of a family business. And I gotta ya, Audrey and Jon are a WHOLE VIBE. Hands down probably the star of LCF with their attitude and just genuinely infections demeanor.
The husband-and-wife illustrators behind Okeya
Audrey and Jon Kenzo Okeya make original illustrated stationery together. Audrey was building her online sticker shop while Kenzo worked at a rice-ball restaurant. Years later, he turned that job into Omusubi Island, an illustration that includes the people he worked with. It’s part of his Tiny Worlds series, where each illustration has a little story of its own.
And then there’s their shop on wheels. The two have sold their stationery around Los Angeles from a little wooden cart modeled after a Japanese ramen stall. I love that detail. A pair of artists who draw tiny shops and imaginary places built a shop that looks like it could belong in one of their illustrations. Read Kenzo’s interview about their story.
The Okeya pieces I picked for 5 Hearts Paper
You Are Enough dotted journals. First of all, those who personally know me, know one of my favorite quotes from my father is You, Alone, Are Enough. He instilled this in me so early. I grew up with an insane amount of confidence and just enormous unconditional love. So when I peeped their socials in preparation for LCF I knew wanted to carry their stuff.
Audrey’s gold-foiled journals carry a message I love. It was a no brainer. You Are Enough. Both sizes have 160 dot-grid pages, 160 gsm paper, and a little back pocket for the things you tuck away and mean to keep. I picked Olive Green and Autumnal Brown in A5, plus Olive Green and Ginkgo Yellow in the slimmer TN travel size. I will soon add more colors, I was limited to what they brought to Houston.
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! softcover TN. I found this special-edition Okeya notebook at Little Craft Fest. It has a purple cover with gold-foil planets, stars, and a tiny rocket crew. Inside are 64 dotted pages of 75 gsm Cosmo paper. I’d tuck this slim notebook into my bag for travel notes, little lists, and ideas I want to catch on the go. Shop the Oh, the Places You’ll Go! softcover TN.
Mushroom Village Washi Tape. This is the one I’d run along the bottom of a journal page so the village can have its own little corner. A strip across the back of an envelope would be sweet, too.
Everyday and Holiday Gingham Washi Tape. Brown gingham is the roll I’d reach for to tape a recipe or a ticket stub into my journal. The holiday gingham comes in red and white/red, both right at home on Christmas envelopes, gift tags, or a page of December memories.
Daisies Washi Tape. I chose Yellow, Dusty Pink, Purple, and Green. A little strip is enough to dress up a planner heading, and I’d pair the Dusty Pink daisies with brown gingham on a handwritten note.
If you’re starting with one pairing, I’d put the Olive Green journal with Mushroom Village. Save the first page for something small you’d like to remember, even if all you write is the date and one good thing that happened.
Shop Okeya Stationery Co. at 5 Hearts Paper
— Jennifer, 5 Hearts Paper