Our Story
Mikan (みかん, Citrus unshiu, a type of mandarin) is a simple, familiar fruit in Japan. In winter, it is always there. Warm rooms, cold hands, a few mikan to be shared with family. It is comforting, everyday, and deeply seasonal. Not some thing rare or extravagant, just something that makes winter a little brighter.
There is a particular kind of calm on a winter day when sunlight is low and warm. You sit by the window, tea nearby, paper laid out. Time slows. Writing a note, choosing a stamp, arranging thoughts without urgency. These small moments bring a quiet kind of joy. These small little things become a companion to thinking, a way to hold thoughts and moments gently.
That is the feeling behind Mikan General Store. Everyday objects that bring warmth. Small joys that last. Thoughtful things, made to be used, and returned to again and again.
Years ago, I was wandering through a stationery shop and picked up a ruler. It was made of aluminium, simple at first glance, but carefully considered. The edge was gently bevelled, just enough to lift it slightly from the paper. That small detail made it easier to draw clean lines and prevented smudging. It felt thoughtful, almost generous.
That moment stayed with me.
The ruler was expensive for me at the time. I was a student, I hesitated. In the end, I bought it anyway. I still use it today. It reminds me that well-made objects can stay with us for years, becoming part of our daily rhythm.
It was a quiet realisation that good design speaks. It doesn’t explain itself loudly. It shows care through small but impactful decisions. To me, great design feels like a love letter from designers to users. Years later, I found myself on the other side of that exchange, trying to pass it on through my own work.
Stationery and homeware designs from Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong has had a deep influence on me. Since moving to the UK, these designs have become harder to find in everyday life. I am physically far from where they are so common, but the emotional connection has never faded. Washi tapes, stamps, pens, stickers. Their colours, their humour and their quiet intelligence, have travelled with me through different chapters of life.
Mikan General Store was established in mid-2021 as my way of sharing that spirit. A place to pass along objects made with care, celebrating creators behind them, and to feel inspired together, wherever we are.
Etsy (2021-2023): https://mikangeneralstore.etsy.com/
Etsy (2025-): https://mikangeneralstoreuk.etsy.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikangeneralstore/
Monki x
