English-French antique store opened in Honmyocho, Kagoshima, offering furniture, zakka, tableware, linens
Yuko Gotan (left) and Kyoko Homan (right) jointly manage EUROPE ANTIQUES
On January 15, the antique store EUROPE ANTIQUES opened in Honmyocho, Kagoshima City.
Kyoko Homan, who used to run the herb and antique furniture store Elder in the same location, and Yuko Gotan, who owned the appointment-only French antique store Antiques Tsubomi in Fukiagecho, joined forces to start a new store with a new name.
Elder has been dealing in British furniture and interior accessories, while Tsubomi has mainly focused on French tableware and fabrics. The merger of the two stores allowed them to handle a wider range of products. The name “Europe,” pronounced /ɛ.u.ˈɾo.pɛ/ and is said to have its origin in the Phoenician language, was adopted for the store to reflect the product lineup. The well-lit store features white French furniture, linens, dinner plates, coffee cups, and other items. In the back of the store, antique furniture from the UK is on display.
All the antique items are over 100 years old, and some of the finely embroidered cloths and laces “cannot be reproduced today,” Gotan says. “French linen improves with age, and when used as sheets, they are warm in winter and cool in summer,” she explains. Prices range from 6,000 yen for a cup and saucer to around 7,000 yen for a tablecloth. They say customers from other prefectures also come to the store.
Gotan is traveling to France in March to purchase new products and plans to hold a fair for newly arrived products after returning to Japan. She is also the organizer of the Kagoshima Antique Market, held twice a year in Kagoshima City, and the next is at Kanmachia on April 9. Over 35 stores, including some from outside the prefecture, such as Fukuoka and Kumamoto, are scheduled to open their booths.
Opening hours: 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Closed on Thursdays.
