This store changed my life
A story about a shopping experience in Japan I'll never forget.
Japan has a lot of amazing shopping but the one store that I think everyone must go to at some point is Hender Scheme. While there are a few locations around Japan, the Sukima location in Ebisu is probably the best one. The two floor flagship offers Hender Scheme’s entire collection all in one space for you to enjoy.
For those new to the brand, Hender Scheme is a Japanese footwear and accessories label that focuses on developing handcrafted products using high-quality sourced leathers. The brand prides itself on its aging process—whether it’s a wallet or a pair of shoes, the products will take new shapes and colors through its rich patina that develops over time, a signature characteristics of their handcrafted goods.
Although it’s quite difficult to acquire Hender Scheme in North America—Haven is probably the only spot I know that actually has a solid variety of goods, although the full Hender Scheme catalog is massive—I’ve been lucky enough to pick up some stuff that have truly elevated my everyday life. So it was a no brainer for me to visit this spot when I was in town. My goal was to pick up a wallet, maybe some footwear, and whatever else I saw at the store—Speaking of, I see too many people in expensive fits pulling out velcro wallets they’ve had from high school. What’s up with that? Investing in your accessories should be at the top of everyone’s list. Plus, it’s something you’re going to use everyday, so why not make it count?
The wallet selection felt overwhelming, in a good way, because the variety was absolutely massive. There is so many different leather options and styles for different purposes in life, that it’s easy to get lost. Plus that rich smell of fine leather goods is something I’ll never get tired of.
I think I spent a solid 45 minutes going through each wallet, opening them up and seeing what would work for me. I don’t usually carry change, so I don’t need a coin pouch for example, I do carry bills and receipts though, so it’s nice to have a proper compartment for that. One of the employees noticed that I was looking at a specific wallet and ended up taking out his to show me how his has aged—it was one that came in this chalked leather finish with a hint of blue, which had ended up changing to a completely black wallet after 2 years of wear.
I continued looking around and this is where things got interesting for me. I picked up another style which he had on him as well. He carried two wallets, which he used for different things. I never really thought about that before—I mean, two wallets seems a bit much, but if it works why not? Even though I might not need to carry two wallets with me at all times, it did unlock this new idea of having multiple wallets for different things.
Because I already couldn’t decide what style was right for me, it was the perfect excuse for me to grab two different ones. First one is a simple card holder which has a section for bills and all of my cards. Straight to the point, double folded and compact enough for me to carry in my pocket—one thing about me is I hate really large wallets, so I always gravitate towards the slimmer options. I got it in the same chalked finished leather that the employee had.
The second one is something I’ve never had before, but hear me out. You know when you go out and you only need a card or two, your ID, and just your keys? What if you can combine everything in a small pouch instead of having several items to carry? This way you can just have one thing to hold, aside from your phone of course. So that’s what I kind of wanted to try out with this specific wallet. Will report on my experience later.
I needed some sort of slippers for my office because the flooring is an unfinished concrete that’s a little bit rough—which has now left most of my socks with holes in them, so I had to fix that problem quickly. The store had a massive display of its footwear after it has been aged, giving you a chance to see how your own personal pair might develop. There were also a pair of the aged slippers on display that ended up grabbing my attention so I wanted to try them out.
Slippers were an automatic cop for me, although there was another pair of slides that I liked more, but they didn’t have them in my size. Another really cool thing about this specific store location, is right across the street you will find Hender Scheme’s in-house shoe repair shop called Circulation. Here you can fix existing products you’ve purchased, or bring any other shoe for repair. They also have a section for shoes they’ve already repaired as well as customs they’ve created that you can purchase. On top of that, Hender Scheme also gives you the option to apply a variety of custom soles to any of their shoes after purchase for a very small price. You don’t have to do this but I wanted my slippers to have some additional grip, so I decided to add a very thin sole for extra support—this cost me about $70 for the sole + install.
After I had purchased all of my goods, one of the employees walked me over to the shoe repair service to get me set up with my perfect sole for my slippers. This is where the shoe repair keeper had brought out additional soles in various thicknesses and finishings for me to choose from. He had told me that the install would take under an hour, so I had just enough time to get some dinner down the street while I waited. After that, I went to pick up the final product, we exchanged some quick words about my visit to Japan, he gave me a tote bag as a small gift, and I was on my way.
More stores need to do this, but the additional bag to put over the paper bag to protect it from the rain is just a great idea. Why aren’t more stores in North America doing this? Been in situations where I am shopping and the rain starts coming down and before you know it the paper bag that I got with my purchase starts deteriorating—it’s a small detail, but that additional level of care is what I enjoy about shopping here in Japan. This is standard practice. The additional leather wrap on the handle was just a nice little detail that tied the entire experience altogether.
Between the actual shopping, chatting with the employees, and getting my shoes soled while having a bowl of ramen down the street, I spent about 3-4 hours at Hender Scheme, and I would do it all again. It was such a pleasant experience that didn’t feel rushed and felt relaxing in a way I didn’t know was possible. If you’re going to spend good money on good products, having a good shopping experience makes it that much better. I mean, at the end of the day, my experience was so good I wanted to write an entire newsletter about it in hopes of getting you to try it out for yourself.
A part of me is not excited to go back home to the regular shopping experience. The shopping in Japan really leveled up and opened up my mind in a way I didn’t think was possible. I’m dreading the potential feeling of disappointment that I might have when I shop back home—maybe I’m just overreacting, but I truly believe we can offer a much better customer experience back in North America.
I highly suggest making this a must stop on your next visit to Japan. Enter their world to understand how their products can level up your everyday life, whether through footwear, accessories or homegoods, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.