Our store sells Scandinavian vintage tableware and ceramic plates. We choose items made in Scandinavia that are of the highest quality in the 20th century, with a focus on items from half a century ago. At the site, we have been collecting various items through trial and error, but this time we came across something that really touched our hearts, so we would like to introduce it to you.
Northern European people can be surprisingly friendly. The person himself acts like this out of natural kindness, but differences in culture, people, and countries manifest themselves in different assumptions about this ``normal.''
The buyer said that it was a Scandinavian expression of happiness, but the thing that surprised me the most was when he sent me the product he had purchased. A sugar pot was included in the preliminary photo. When I looked at the pre-order photos, the sugar pot was in good condition and of course empty, but when it actually arrived it was packed full of sugar. It seems that they were happy that they bought it at a high price and added a large amount of sugar in the spirit of service.
Also, on one occasion, a large number of plates unrelated to the plates I ordered were included in the package. What's more, it's a brand name item, but the memo says, ``I don't need it anymore, so please use it together.'' I now understand why the shipping cost was so high considering the number of items. I had mixed feelings about it, thinking that I would be happy if someone would give me a call since I would be paying for the shipping, but I don't think it was a business-like conversation anyway. This is the surprising kindness of Scandinavia.
This time, we will talk about a single letter.
Unlike the packed sugar and large plates, the package that was sent this time contained a letter.
I received a set of ARABIA Nuutajärvi glassware that was made about half a century ago from someone in Sweden, and it turns out that the tableware had belonged to that person's grandmother.
The letter contained the following information: My grandmother, who was originally born in Finland, became an orphan during the Winter War that took place on the border between the Soviet Union and Finland during World War II, and after being placed in an orphanage, she was raised by foster parents in Sweden. that's right.
After the war, she worked as a cleaner, and since her husband's father worked in the pottery department of Rorstrand, she developed a love for tableware under the influence of her father-in-law. It seems that he purchased ARABIA tableware for this reason. He said he bought Finnish tableware because it reminded him of his homeland and it gave him energy. After my grandmother passed away, the dishes were left alone, but I think the best thing to do is to have them put to use. The message was to please take good care of it.
When I opened the box that arrived in Japan, there was almost no sign of my grandmother's tableware being used, and it was as beautiful as if it had been made yesterday. I think it was probably a waste and could not be used. It is said that she was getting energized by remembering her homeland, and perhaps by looking at it rather than using it, she was getting a feel for Finland, her homeland.
At our store, we do not normally introduce the history of vintage items, but this time we wrote an article specifically to introduce them. Scandinavian vintage items are once touched by humans and then cross the ocean to Japan. While we fully explain the story of how the product itself was created, vintage items also include the history of the user.
It is special cases like this that remind us that each vintage carries a life, a story. We believe that each tableware we hold in our hands was a part of someone's daily life, that it engraved someone's memories, and that those memories are entrusted to our hands and become part of a new story. When you think about it, its value is immeasurable.
We will continue to deliver each product to our customers while valuing its value and story. I would be more than happy if this helped me color my next life and create a new story.
Thank you for your continued support of Scandinavian tableware Tacksamycket.