Our store sells Scandinavian vintage tableware and ceramic plates. We have selected the best workmanship in the 20th century made in Northern Europe, mainly from half a century ago. Through trial and error, we have collected various items locally.
Nordic people are surprisingly friendly. The person himself behaves like that with an obvious kindness, but differences in culture, people, and countries appear in the difference in this "natural" premise.
According to the buyer, it must be a Nordic expression of joy, but the most surprising thing so far was when he sent me the purchased product. A sugar pot was included in the prior photo. When I saw the photos in advance, the sugar pot was in good condition and naturally empty, but when it actually arrived, it was full of sugar. It seems that he was happy that he bought it at a high price, and put a lot of sugar in it out of a spirit of service.
Also, on one occasion, a large number of plates were included that had nothing to do with the plate I ordered. What's more, it's a branded product, but in the memo it says, "I don't need it anymore, so please use it together." I understand why the shipping cost was strangely high compared to the number of items. I had some mixed feelings about how I would be happy if you would let me know because I have to pay for the shipping fee, but I think it's a non-commercial story anyway. Such is the surprising kindness of the Nordics.
This time it's about a letter.
Unlike the packed sugar and large plates, this time there was a single letter enclosed in the package.
I received a set of ARABIA Nuutajärvi glass tableware about half a century ago from a person in Sweden, and it seems that the tableware belonged to the person's grandmother.
The letter contained the following: Originally born in Finland, my grandmother became a war orphan during the winter war that unfolded on the border between the Soviet Union and Finland during World War II. that's right.
After the war, she worked as a janitor, and since her husband's father worked in the ceramics department of Rorstrand, she became interested in tableware under the influence of her father-in-law. It seems that he purchased ARABIA tableware for that reason. He said that he bought Finnish tableware because it reminded him of his hometown and made him feel better. After my grandmother passed away, the dishes were left alone, but I think the best thing is to have them put to good use. It was the content that please take care of it.
When I opened the box that arrived in Japan, my grandma's tableware had hardly been used and looked as if it had been made yesterday. Probably, I think that it was a waste and could not be used. It is said that she was energized by remembering her hometown, but it may be that she felt Finland, her hometown, by looking at it rather than using it.
We usually don't introduce the history of vintage products, but this time we wanted to introduce it in an article. Scandinavian vintage items that have been touched by people once cross the sea and enter Japan. While the story of how the item itself was made is well-explained, the vintage item also includes the history of its user.
It's a special case like this one that reminds us that each vintage carries a life, a story. Each piece of tableware in our hands was part of someone's daily life, carved into someone's memories, and those memories are entrusted to our hands and become part of a new story. When you think about it, the value is immeasurable.
I would like to continue to deliver each product to our customers while valuing its value and story. I would be more than happy if it helped color my next life and create a new story.
Thank you for your continued support of Nordic tableware Tacksamycket.