NEW PEOPLE THE STORE

NEW PRODUCTS: USAGITEAM COLLARS & LEASHES FOR DOGS

2012-01-25T15:28:00.000-08:00

Hello my lovelies!
Hope you are all keeping warm & dry (as possible) with the inclement weather around the SF Bay Area. Though it has warmed up very recently, so who knows what will happen next. Just don't let it catch you off guard.

Today, we have a feature on some new products now available at NEW PEOPLE the Store~
Spectacular dog collars and leashes hand-made by UsagiTeam !

Here are a few examples of their lovely collars:

Gold Kimono Bowtie Collar - Click here to purchase

Colorful Wave Bowtie Collar - Click here to purchase

Argyle Colorful Collar - Click here to purchase

And a few of their leashes:

Gingham Check Red Leash

Mustard Kimono Leash - Click here to purchase

Of course, we can't be without a few adorable model shots:

There are more available on our webstore, click the button below:

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More about UsagiTeam:

UsagiTeam specializes in eye catching, functional items for small to middle size dogs and cats with a designer twist made by hand in San Francisco.

We love supporting our community that cares for all its furry residents. Profits from UsagiTeam go to helping animals at shelters and rescue groups throughout the US.
***don't buy, don't breed- Let's adopt animals***

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So check these out! They are super adorable and if you have a special doggie in your life that you would like to deck out in super cute collars & clothes, definitely don't hesitate to get them now :)

Let's support local hand-crafted items!

Until next time, have a wonderful day~~
Angie

SPECIAL SCREENING: GANTZ 1 & 2

2012-01-07T12:23:00.000-08:00

Hello & good day~!
I hope everyone has been doing well. The flu & cold season is really under way, so make sure to keep warm & wash your hands often. Don't let that warm sunshine fool you into thinking it'll be hot! It is still very chilly in San Francisco, Bay Area even with a good amount of sun.

Anyways, main purpose of the post is to remind you all that we have a GANTZ 1 & 2 Special Screening coming up in a week on Saturday 1/14/2012. To celebrate the new release of GANTZ II: Perfect Answer (Release date: Jan 17, 2012; available on pre-order on our webstore! Clicky~), we will be showing in our NEW PEOPLE Cinema in the following order:

1:00PM(PST) - GANTZ (dubbed)
4:00PM(PST) - GANTZ II: Perfect Answer (dubbed)
7:00PM(PST) - GANTZ II: Perfect Answer (subtitled)

Of course, if you don't have time to watch both, we do sell the first GANTZ movie available at the store & online.

Pretty exciting for GANTZ fans!

Can't wait to see you all there~~

Keep warm & enjoy the sunny skies :)

-Angie

GANTZ II PRE-ORDER

2011-12-24T12:44:00.000-08:00

Brr, it's getting a lot more chilly recently!

We just hit the solstice a few days ago, so no wonders there.

I am happy, though, about the sunny weather we continue to have even though it's winter~

A little good news for all of you who have been wondering about

GANTZ II: Perfect Answer

Its blu-ray and DVD release date is Tuesday January 17, 2012!!

To celebrate the good news to all of you GANTZ fans, we will have a special screening on Saturday January 14, 2012 of both GANTZ & GANTZ II in our VIZ Cinema!

GANTZ Trailer

Ticket info is available here on our main website: GANTZ & GANTZ II Special Screening

In the meantime, if you own GANTZ and want to get GANTZ II to complete your collection, we have it for pre-order* on our webstore available now!

^ Click banner to pre-order now!!

If you're as excited as I am, don't wait and go get your copy today~

*Pre-ordering will reserve a copy of the DVD/blu-ray for you, but orders will not be shipped until the release date of 1/17/2012. Thank you all for your understanding.

If you should have further questions or comments, please feel free to contact us at:
info@newpeoplestore.com
415-525-8630
Mon-Sat: 12pm-7pm; Sun: 12pm-6pm

Until next time, Happy Holidays & A Lovely New Year to all!!!

HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS, VOL 2

2011-12-15T00:02:00.000-08:00

Looks like the colder, drab weather is starting to settle in here at San Francisco....

Well, let's brighten up everyone's days with some cool holiday gift suggestions~

Cement Produce Design - 50% off!

Trace Face Cups

Knit Wear - Click photo to purchase now!

Rattan - Click photo to purchase now!

I must say, the cute texture of these cups are well worth every penny. One type is like that of a rattan basketweave & the other a cable knit. Very unique & I dare say a good addition to anyone's collection. So if you know someone (or are someone) who collects ceramic cups with intricate designs, this will be perfect!

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Perch Mugs

Squirrel - Click photo to purchase now!

Little Bird - Click photo to purchase now!

If you like items with an earthy "in with nature" type of motif, then you will love these perch mugs. They have been made to resemble an adorable woodland creature (bird or squirrel) perched atop a branch of a tree. Bird & squirrel lovers from all over rejoice :)

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Chocolate Magnets

"Milk" Choco Magnet - Click photo to purchase now!

If you like chocolate as much as I do, then these are perfect for you. Useful magnets to keep your memo on the fridge; you can actually break them into smaller pieces like real chocolate. However, once broken, you can no longer put them back together, so save that for a special occasion. Recommended for use as a daily dose of yummmmmmmmm therapy!

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SOF OVAL Glass Cups

SOF Oval Glass - Click photo to purchase now!

We all have glass cups, boring things to drink our beverages from. But, to add a little spice to the mundane, we present to you these oval shaped cups! Its quite subtle, but very noticeable viewed from above.

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Crown Coasters

"Milky" White Coaster - Click photo to purchase now!

"Water" Clear Coaster - Click photo to purchase now!

Cute little coasters in the shape of a crown gives our lives a little touch of refined luxury~
These make a great gift for those who want a piece of that "royal treatment" in their own homes.

Kyouei Design

Lightbulb Lantern

Ever wanted a huge lightbulb hanging from your ceiling? Maybe that's never crossed your mind, but I always liked the mood of a sparse bulb lighting a room. To get a similar mood-lighting effect, you can get this lightbulb shaped lantern.

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"Random" Music CD

Ambient music to add to the atmosphere in a room lit with the Lightbulb Lantern. Fun thing about this CD is that each time you play it, it will start on a random track meaning a fresh sound each time you listen to it!

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Liquid Lamp Table Type

Red - Click photo to purchase now!

White - Click photo to purchase now!

And we also have these cool lamps that look like they're melting. No mechanical/electrical components included, but hey it's cool just to have it as a decor item. Beautiful & unique, these are great conversation pieces giving life to a home.

Phew!

That was a bit long today, but hopefully I was able to introduce some delightful items that you may not have stumbled across on your own.

Until next gift idea post, take care & stay warm~~~~

HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS, VOL 1

2011-12-10T12:17:00.000-08:00

Lovely day to you all!

So the holiday season is upon us, meaning the gift-buying frenzy has started.

Let's start with some news~

For those of you whom haven't heard about it yet, we have just recently released the Documentary of AKB48 To Be Continued DVD (Region 1) on December 1st.

Click banner to go to purchase right away!

"This documentary follows the unstoppable all-female Japanese idol group, AKB49. With a complicated balance of competition and friendship among the members, their bond is strong. The footage was taken from over 1000 hours of recorded videos throughout 2010 and includes personal interviews with select members revealing each of the girls' struggle, joy, growth, and dream.

Cast: AKB48
Senior Executive Producer: Shunji Iwai
Producer: Yasushi Akimoto
Director: Yuri Kanchiku

2011 / Japan / 120 min / Japanese with English Subtitles "

Taglined as the "idols you can meet," you can indeed meet them in Tokyo as they often do shows/performances in Akihabara, where they originated. In a group that originally started with 48 girls that have now expanded to 59 girls with 4 subgroups, there must have been quite a great deal of trials & tribulations. So let's get a peak into the lives of these girls working hard to promote themselves as entertainers.

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KEN HAMAZAKI Pinch to Pink! Charity Items

Concept behind the display:

With the widespread destruction of many areas of North-Eastern Japan resultant of the March 2011 earthquake & tsunami, Japan is in a pinch. In order to provide these people in their time of need a bright future (pink is a bright color!), Ken Hamazaki is doing his part. All proceeds are donated to the Japan Tsunami & Earthquake Relief Fund; you get a little piece of art while doing a good deed. Doesn't get any better than that!

"PiNCh to PiNK!: Lint Roller Lottery" - $25

Inside 6 out of the 20 of them, there are stickers that will win you a big pink button pin with a graphic from HamaKen's Pinch to Pink line. Inside just ONE, the winning "atari" sticker in it that could win you a lovely painting of a skeleton - which looks like the Diablo Angel painting, but fully outlined in Swarovski crystals.

Even if you don't win anything in particular, you will still have a nifty hot pink lint roller signed & numbered by the artist himself! Plus, the knowledge that your charitable donation will help someone in need.

*Note: the painting has been won by one of our lovely customers a month prior to this post, but there is still 1 button pin prize to be won! Try your luck~

"PiNCh to PiNK!: the 19th Anniversary" small skull painting - $100

Cute little graphic of a skull made of smaller skulls! Again, HamaKen does it again with the graphic print within graphic signature style of artwork.

"PiNCh to PiNK!: Diablo Angel" skeleton painting with pinch to pink phrase - $200

We have eight of these gorgeous paintings with the graphic of a skeleton holding a sign with "Pinch to Pink" written on it. The skeleton's finger is accented with a Swarovski crystal.

We also have a few of his t-shirts and other art pieces available here at NEW PEOPLE:

Click above blue button to check it out~

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If that leaves you wanting more, we have plenty of sales going on here at NEW PEOPLE the Store!

AG Balance Board - ~~Reg $130~~, Now $91!!!

Black/White - Click photo to purchase now!

Black/Yellow - Click photo to purchase now!

A good tool to help you learn where your center of gravity is, thus improving your ability to balance. It has a bungee cord firmly keeping the wheel with the main unit so that it won't roll away if you were to lose balance & let it slide. Good fun for those who like to skateboard, since you can enjoy this near-stationary item indoors when it's less than good weather outside!

Remember those BITOWA containers I had introduced in the past?
(here's a little refresher: Mother's Day Gift Ideas)

Sakazuki - Click photo to purchase now!

Fuyu (Available: WHITE, MAGENTA)

Aki (Available: MAGENTA)

Haru - Click photo to purchase now!

Well, they're going & going fast! Better grab them while you can~ 40% off regular retail price!!!

That's it for now! I will continue to post about interesting gift item recommendations all week , so stay tuned!! :)

AKB48 DOCUMENTARY

2011-11-16T17:14:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

I apologize for the lack of updates here on the blog as we are busy prepping for a wonderful holiday season!

Today, I bring you news of the much anticipated release of the "Documentary of AKB48 to be continued" that we ran in the VIZ Cinema here at NEW PEOPLE during J-Pop Summit 2011!

The documentary will be released December 1st on DVD, Region 1 (United States, Canada). To commemorate, we will be doing a special pre-order offer here at NEW PEOPLE!

From now through November 30th, we will be taking pre-orders sold exclusively online for $19.99 at our online webstore. For those who pre-order the DVD now, you will receive a bonus FREE DVD from our selection of NEW PEOPLE Entertainment films.

You have your choice of one from the following:
- NANA
- NANA2
- Detroit Metal City
- Linda Linda Linda
- Gackt Filmography - BLUE
- Gackt Filmography - RED

Click above ↑ to ORDER NOW!

Of course, once it is released on December 1st, we will have the documentary also available streamed online at newpeoplechannel.com for $4.99 (for a 48 hour rental).

For those of you not quite familiar with AKB48, they are a Japanese female idol group that originated in the heart of Akihabara, a district in Tokyo well known for it's niche group interests in manga, anime, music, etc. They started with 48 members taglined as "idols you can meet" and due to increasing popularity have expanded to roughly 59 members in 4 sub-groups.
More info on them can be found here: AKB48 Wiki!

So check it out, it's a great deal~

Until next time, stay warm!!

NEW PEOPLE NEWSLETTER

2011-10-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

Upcoming Exclusive Offer for Newsletter Subscribers!
SIGN-UP NOW!

Get 30% off GANTZ DVD or Blu-ray with a free poster exclusively at our online store. PLUS be entered for a chance to win a GANTZ T-shirt!

Sign up for either NEW PEOPLE or NEW PEOPLE Entertainment’s newsletter by 10/21 to receive a special code. You can sign up on both website home pages or on the news page here:

NP Newsletter Exclusive Offer . If you already get our newsletters, no need to sign up again. Just keep an eye out for an email from us in your inbox in the upcoming weeks!

You read it! Please do sign up for our newsletter. It only comes a few times a month (more often if we have really special things coming up, but it is usually about twice a month, so your inbox won't be spammed unreasonably.

Thank you all for reading.

Until next time!!

HATSUNE MIKU 39's GIVING DAY

2011-10-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

Hey all, I hope you had a wonderful Columbus Day weekend!

I didn't do too much except lounge around at home...and well, I did manage to visit the new h.Naoto store last Friday October 7th (opening day!). All the clothes were beautiful & hard to resist buying and I didn't actually attend the Opening Ceremony party on Saturday October 8th ;__;
So, if anyone has interesting anecdotes about what transpired this past Saturday, by all means let me know!

Today, I would like to do a little feature on a cool blu-ray of the first ever (as far as I know) Japanese digital idol's live concert, Hatsune Miku.

Miku no Hi Kansyasai 39's Giving Day
Project DIVA presents Miku Hatsune Solo Concert

~ Konbanwa Miku Hatsune Desu~

Click the banner to get it at our web store!

It's definitely an interesting concert and you can catch a trailer of it at our store here at NEW PEOPLE!

Hatsune Miku & co are projected onto this transparent screen on the stage. They are near life size and really feel like they are there in the flesh (well, other than the obvious fact that they are very anime-ish in looks and in that sense we can definitely tell they are not real people).

Miku even gets outfit changes! Cute bikini? Definitely~

Here's a little blurb from our web store about the blu-ray:

" Hatsune Miku's second music game on the Sony PSP has been a great success, to thank all her fans for playing and memorizing the beat of her songs, she's giving her first live, on the big screen. Watch the Vocaloid dance and sing on stage, and if you are good at rhythms, you can get off the couch and do the moves with her. Besides Miku, her friends, Rin, Len and Ruka will join her on stage to perform their respective numbers and sing duets. "

Also, a ton of the songs on the disc are the ones you can find in the Project DIVA Arcade machine also at our store for a limited time. You may want to come on down to check it out soon because it's slated to go back to Japan at the end of October 2011!!

That leaves us roughly 3 weeks left, so definitely don't let the opportunity to try it out pass you by. And of course, to those who come here regularly enough to have played with it a bit, please do come to play some more as it'll be gone before you know it.

A little more on Project DIVA:

As I have said in the past, it's a rhythm game where you just press the button corresponding to the symbol that appears on the screen at the right times. It's much easier to understand if you come to look at it in person.

Again, I assure all of you it is rather simple and nothing to be embarrassed about if you don't do amazing on your very first try.

Machine details (payment):

The coin slot system does not work as it only accepts Japanese Yen, so we have "disabled" that feature. Also, we do not have the equipment for IC cards. We will not be capable of setting it up to work with IC cards either. We apologize in advance, but it's still fun to play with it just for the heck of it.

It's $1 per song, so please pay at the counter/cashier before pressing that Start button! If you aren't interested in playing, please do avoid pressing it.

Thank you all for your time and hopefully the weather in San Francisco will be a little more agreeable with us in the coming weeks.

WHAT'S HAPPENING @ NEW PEOPLE SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER 2011

2011-10-03T17:20:00.000-07:00

Hey all, it's been a crazy long time since I last posted!

I hope everyone had a grand time at the J-Pop Summit Festival 2011 on Saturday August 27th and Sunday August 28th; did you guys get some fun stuff at the booths? There were plenty of interesting art, various anime related goods, and food being sold.

Of course, there were also enjoyable times with hand-made crafts at Bizarre Bazaar with their booths all along Post Street.

I extend a big thank you to everyone who participated in such a large event; everyone who attended, volunteered, sat outside in the heat to sell things, helped gather donations for the Japan Earthquake & Tsunami relief funds, performed live music/dance, and partied hard on both days -- thank you so much for making this possible! It just wouldn't be the same without everyone. I hope to see you all next year~

Check out our photos covering the fun times we shared: NP Flickr! - JPOP SUMMIT FEST 2011
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New Items at NEW PEOPLE the Store

Here are a few interesting items like K-On! Metal Character Tags, sock sets, tote bags, shampoo/lotion pump bottles, and posters! Come on down to get some while supplies last~

Click ↑ to get to the online store

Also, we still have some lovely Hatsune Miku x Japantown Charity goods to commemorate J-Pop Summit Fest 2011! A portion of the proceeds are donated to various relief funds for Japan, so do your part & get a cute mug/t-shirt/tote in the process.

Click ↑ to get to the online store

Speaking of charity goods, we also have a new Hamazaki Kenritsu display at the store.

Pinch to Pink!
The concept is to help Japan in its time of need (they're in a "pinch!") and to do so, we would be donating money to give them all a bright future (pink is a really bright color). Thus we have Pinch to Pink! - art that can help save lives.

With this unique display, Hamazaki has hung some lovely hot pink lint rollers from our ceiling. Each one contains a sticker inside and if you're lucky, you may even be able to win an awesome painting laden with numerous Swarovski crystals. There's only one grand prize, but there are a few smaller prizes (about 4 left) to be had.

Even if you don't "win" anything other than the lint roller you paid for, you are all winners in the end for donating to a good cause and helping people who really appreciate the kindness, however large or small.

We also have his other art pieces, postcards, and t-shirts by the same artist around the store, so come check it out during a free moment!
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If you haven't heard it already, we just had the Opening Ceremony (Thursday September 22, 2011) at NEW PEOPLE for the San Francisco Film Society. They are renting out our beloved VIZ Cinema for a year and they have a great line-up of intriguing & exciting films.

You can check out more info on this at the following: SF Film Society x NEW PEOPLE
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If you had a chance to experience Project DIVA at the J-Pop Summit Fest 2011, then you're in for an awesome surprise because the machine will be at NEW PEOPLE the Store (Mezzanine level) until the end of October 2011! Of course, for those of you who wanted to try but didn't get a chance, feel free to come on down & have a go at it.

I assure all of you, it is rather simple and nothing to be embarrassed about if you don't do amazing on your very first try. It's a rhythm game where you just press the button corresponding to the symbol that appears on the screen at the right times. You'll definitely know what I mean when you come down to try it out.

It's $1 per song, so please pay at the counter/cashier before pressing that Start button!
Of course, if you aren't interested in playing, please do avoid hitting that button.

We have special plans in the works, but for now, just be content with playing with an arcade machine straight from Japan - the first and only in the USA!

LAYLA LANE @ JPOP SUMMIT 2011

2011-08-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody!

It's been a little while since I last posted; we're all busy over here trying to prepare for the J-Pop Summit Festival 2011!

Today, we have a special topic:
Major label AVEX-signed COCA COLA theme song singer - Japan x West Coast hybrid power duo Layla Lane will come rock J-POP SUMMIT Festival on Saturday, August 27!

Check out their merchandise that is only available at their shows! Meet the band after they play at the Pagoda Main Stage!

SHOW: Saturday, August 27: 2:15 - 2:45
Meet&Greet and Merchandise Sale at NP tent 2:45 -

For the UFO Radar and the Ghost Radar, Layla Lane collaborated with Solid Alliance, the company famous for devices such as the squid-shaped USB drive and the sushi-shaped USB drive.

☆UFO Radar☆: This gadget uses state-of-the-art technology to detect the presence of UFOs in the area. It also uses touch sensitivity to determine if an actual person is an alien. The research was supervised by the #1 UFO researcher in Japan, Junichi Yaoi, and the product is only available at Layla Lane shows. Please see our video for a complete demonstration!

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☆Ghost Radar☆: Perfect for Halloween, the Ghost Radar can detect paranormal activity. Researchers traveled to over 40 different para-normally active places in Japan to develop this product. If it detects a ghost, the radar will determine whether the ghost's energy is negative, positive, or neutral, and will subsequently protect you if the surrounding spirit is an evil one. If ghosts have something to tell you, it will play you their messages.

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☆Layla Lane guitar picks☆: These high-quality picks are perfect for collectors and guitarists alike! Imprinted with the official Layla Lane logo, they come in 3 colors: yellow, white, and pearl. The pearl picks can be attached to your necklace. These picks are the actual models that Heday uses!

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☆Layla Lane chopsticks☆: These chopsticks make a great gift for the Asian food enthusiast in your life! Beautifully engraved with the Layla Lane logo, they are heavy-duty, long-lasting, and eco-friendly.

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Dancing Layla Lane: First please watch →

How do they dance to the music!!?? It's easy, anyone can do it! They are completely, 100% handmade by Layla Lane. Artwork by Heday himself!

Don't miss LAYLA LANE at J-POP SUMMIT. Come to VIP party for a chance to hang out with them!
Get into VIP Party >> http://j-popsummit03.eventbrite.com/

NIHONMACHI STREET FAIR AUGUST 13 - 14

2011-08-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

As we wind down our last bits of the summer months, we have the Nihonmachi Street Fair going on August 13th & 14th.

It also coincides with NEW PEOPLE's 2nd Anniversary on August 15th!
Therefore, we thought we would do a little something to celebrate our happy happy birthday.

We will be having Happy Pack sales starting the 13th lasting until the 15th (in store only).
There will one type going for $100 ($200+ value) available.

Each pack is completely different, so you're going to have to choose one at random & leave it to lady luck. Of course, these are filled to the brim with approximately 10 - 13 fun & unique items each!

Here's a short list of what could be inside:

NEW NIPPON GLOVES - FINGER
NEW NIPPON GLOVES - 1000CT
MT. FUJI GLASS
Calculator
RULER USB Drive
YOKOYAMA YUICHI's NEW ENGINEERING
YOKOYAMA YUICHI'S TRAVEL
Various NEW PEOPLE T-shirts
SWITCH Type cell phone strap
ISTAND (colors vary)
MASSAGER TRIPOD
Candles (various types)
Push Pin Light (colors vary)
Headphones (various types)
......ETC

And, better yet, they come packed in these cool NEW PEOPLE x YOKOYAMA YUICHI tote bags:

Front

Back

Are we ready to celebrate yet?
Definitely time to do a happy dance :D

As always, thank you all for your continued support of NEW PEOPLE as well as your continued support of the Japan Tsunami & Earthquake relief fund.

Next up is about the JPOP Summit Fest! Lots of fun news in store, so don't miss it!

KICKSTART J-POP SUMMIT FEST!

2011-08-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

UDPATE ~August 9, 2011~
So we made it safely with over $10,000!!! A huge huge THANK YOU to everyone who made a pledge to the KICK STARTER fund.

For those who missed out on the pledge, but still want to go to the VIP Party, you still have a chance by visiting the following link to purchase some tickets: VIP Party Tickets - Purchase Here!

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Today is a windy day...hopefully it gets a little bit sunnier as the day goes on.

Starting off is some news about J-Pop Summit!

We have raised about 84% of our $10,000 goal!!!!

To everyone who contributed, we owe you all a great deal of gratitude.

Now, we just have that last 16% to fill!

Let's make it happen guys, so we can have a fun time at the VIP party :)

Roughly $1,600 to get 100% of the pledge. That's 16 x $100 backers, 80 x $20 backers. We're so close, we can almost smell the goal line.

We have 54 hours left to reach this, so the time to help out is now!

People who have already made a pledge can still edit the amount until August 8th 10pm (EDT), so if you're feeling a bit more generous lately, let it go to a good cause.

Here's the link: J-POP SUMMIT KICKSTARTER

A small reminder, the "TWICE BOMBED; the Legacy of Yamaguchi Tsutomu" film is showing today August 6th at 2pm (PST), so don't miss it if you're in town!

And, if a few of you didn't know this already, our 3rd floor SUPERFROG gallery has an exhibit run by the SF Film Society. Automatic Writing is pretty interesting in which the artist, Marius Watz, mixed fun colors & shapes with mathematics. Come on down to check it out Wednesdays - Sundays 12pm to 6pm until August 17 (Wed).

Alrighties, that's it for now.

Will blast you with more posts in the near future :P

J-POP SUMMIT 2011 BABY!!

2011-07-30T15:07:00.000-07:00

Happy end-of-July weekend!

I do hope everyone is doing good and enjoying some warm rays of the sun. Of course, there is always wacky weather in San Francisco, but that just adds to the adventure aspect.

So, as we all anticipated news of this year's J-Pop Summit Festival, we are gearing up over here at NEW PEOPLE to bring you a fun weekend of events that you won't forget!!

It will be an exciting 2-days of vibrant colors, fun fashion shows, wild performances, and handmade crafts of Bazaar Bizarre. Especially when we will have the up-&-gaining-popularity food trucks like Chairman Bao & Onigilly to keep our hungry bellies filled & happy.

Be there August 27 & 28 (Sat, Sun)!

Starting off, please help support the J-Pop Summit Fest with your sponsorship of $1 or more here.
If you pledge over $20, you get a General Pass to the VIP party held on Saturday August 27th (7pm) where you'll get to meet some VIP like Naoto Hirooka of h.NAOTO fashion fame and the Danceroid girls, you get a cute Hatsune Miku x Hello Kitty collaboration keychain (you can redeem this lovely little gift over at the NEW PEOPLE tent right outside the NP building; bring a print out of your pledge receipt).

We're currently having a Vocaloid Dance Contest, so be sure to check out the following link & show us your smooth moves!

~ Dance the night away ~

And if you haven't heard already, h.NAOTO has signed with NEW PEOPLE and will have their first U.S. flagship store on our fashion floor starting Friday October 7th (save the date!). But before then, you can check out their stuff at their pop-up shop during the J-Pop Summit Fest on Saturday August 27th.

Movie news-wise, we will have a GANTZ DVD & Bluray release event happening on Friday August 26th. If you liked GANTZ when you saw it here at NEW PEOPLE, then you're in for a treat! GANTZ II: Perfect Answer San Francisco Premiere is happening August 27th as well!

A little reminder, ROOST showcasing at Moscone Center West August 6 - 9!
Check my blog post (right under this one! but here's a link).

Alrighties, I'll leave you to digest all that for now.
Take care & hopefully, see ya at J-Pop Summit!!
Angie

ROOST SHOWCASING

2011-07-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
The weather today was pretty good in San Francisco for once this summer! I'm not a huge fan of hot weather, but it's a welcomed change from foggy/windy days.

Anyways, as the title of this post alludes to, the home furnishings wholesaler roost is having a showcasing of their products/pieces in San Francisco, August 6 - 9 (Sat - Tues) at the Moscone Center West, Booth No.1609 (during the San Francisco International Gift Fair).

Exciting stuff and their products are beautiful. We actually have a few of their sand glasses available at the store.

NUVO Glass - Persimmon/Smoke Barbell

If you're curious about the SF International Gift Fair, you can visit their site for more info: SFIGF

Directions to the event venue here.

And definitely check out the roost website: roostco

Fun stuff and if I had the space, I'd fill my house with chic furnishings from roost!!

Take care & hopefully you get to catch that showcasing at Moscone Center West,

Angie

PAINT THE TOWN IN PHOTOS

2011-07-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody!

Hope everyone had a fun 4th of July~ Especially with fun pool parties, barbecues, and picnics!

Today, I'd like to introduce a few fun products at the store that you may have not noticed or known too much about.

So, without further ado, let's check out these cool nifty Paint Can Pinhole Cameras.

"Little Merlin" One Quart - Made by notedco

Cute paint can with a graphic of yellow "paint' oozed out on its sides

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Merlin" One Gallon - Made by notedco

Larger paint can with a graphic of blue "paint" oozed out on its sides

The paint can cameras are drilled with a precision pinhole aperture (0.5mm), ready for immediate use~~ All you need is to load it up with a sheet of photographic paper or film & expose. Definitely a good item to use to teach kids basic photography or something for beginners trying to break into the craft.

A magnetic shutter & instructions are enclosed.

And for those interested in new decor items to spruce up your homes for any season, how about a miniature galaxy in a cube?

Available in two sizes: Mini & Large ♪

This isn't just any old acrylic cube with some shape/thing etched into it!! It's a specially laser-etched model of the Milky Way Galaxy using accurate data plots provided by Japan's National Astronomical Observatory encased in a super dense glass. Made with beautiful quality, it's definitely not your $5 home decoration that you can find just anywhere.

Great care was also taken in designing the packaging of these glass cubes.
"

The glass cube was laser-etched, so we tried to laser etch the package design as well! We started from a plain black box, and tried to etch the center image first. "Pish~ Pish - Pish - Pish," the laser is certainly burning the surface of the box. Puffs of smoke fill the work area and swiftly drains into a vacuum. As the fog of smoke lifts, it leaves a smell of ashes lingering in the air. Yes, the design is indeed etched onto the box -- Perfectly as intended.

How's that for an awesome story to tell your art-lover friends, who should be green with envy by now?!

And a little reminder, TRIGUN: Badlands Rumble started up this Friday at 5pm (poster raffle) in the VIZ Cinema!

More info and show times can be found here: Trigun @ VIZ Cinema

Also, the beautiful NOSAKU items made from Suzu (a special Japanese tin-like metal, but it is in no way a weak one!). They are still going for 30% off, so catch them while you can (our flower trays are limited in stock)!!

Our collection of these can be found at our online store, click the blue "Available Online!"

A big thank you to all that attended the AMANO FOR JAPAN auction on July 9th! Congratulations to the winners & again, thank you for your generous donations for a good cause~
For those who missed the exhibit, you can still pick up some lovely AMANO x NEW PEOPLE collab t-shirts at NEW PEOPLE the Store:

Available in various sizes & graphics

One last thing, don't forget to catch the movies we have going on in the VIZ Cinema. You don't want to miss our Classic Weekends~~
Here are the listings: VIZ Cinema - Movie Time!

Alrighties, that's it for now.
Take care & have fun~ Hopefully the weather in San Francisco will be more cooperative with our plans :P

Angie

4TH OF JULY - OUTDOOR FUN

2011-06-25T01:15:00.000-07:00

Everyone ready for outdoor fun during the summer?!

We have a great selection of fun items for you at our webstore

Click image to go to our webstore!

Time to get those crazy picnics & pool parties under way~
Of course, for those awesome parties, we need to have the right supplies.
We have fun toothpick holders for your h'ordeuvres - cute little sandwich bites?
Like these little ones from Hat Trick:

Lift Up Toothpick Case - Little champions here to serve!

How about some lovely floral design trays by NOSAKU 能作
for your swanky dinner parties:

SAKURA (CHERRY BLOSSOM)

UME (PLUM BLOSSOM)

KIKYO (BELLFLOWER)

HASU (LOTUS)

COSMOS

The whole collection of beautiful Nosaku items are

We've got you set for your music needs with portable speakers to connect to your iPods/MP3 players so you don't have to lug around a heavy sound system from home.

500XL Desktop Speaker by Fred

Music Balloon Speaker by IDEA International

Available in RED & YELLOW

Animal Speaker - Frog also by IDEA International

DJ Speaker by ZUMREED

Available in WHITE, RED, and BLACK

Mini Speaker-Mic by SANWA Supplies

Available in METALLIC BLUE, SILVER, and BLACK

Volkswagen Stereo Speaker by ZUMREED

Available in: RED and TEAL

Many of you may have those water pitchers with filters, but how about a more natural way to filter your water? Behold, our awesome Binchotan charcoal.

Available in: 1/4lb Bag, 1/4lb Gift Bag, 12" Stick

Also need some utensils, so how about some fancier stainless steel silverware by SAIKAI:

Forks

Spoons

Knife

Ladels

Tongs

If you're having parties, there also needs to be appropriate attire.
Let's get us some exclusive NEW PEOPLE x YOSHITAKA AMANO T-shirts:

See our selection

Plus, we are having a great sale on items from

the Surf Shop - 30% off!!!!!!!!

Mugs - For your favorite drinks - iced tea anyone?

Shirts - Cool, with a useful breast pocket

Totes - Good to lug those party supplies & beach balls

Want to keep those kids busy and active with this Flying Dish Frisbee by Flokk:

Pinhole cameras to take some memorable photos?

You got it!

Paint Can by noted*- Great as a little gag gift, but great for capturing moments least expected!

We also have a 50% off on select DVDs July 1st to July 7th.

That's it for now, hope you find some interesting finds to start off a grandiose summer!!
Angie

AMANO GALLERY EXHIBIT - FOR JAPAN

2011-06-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

It's been a while since I last wrote a non-campaign entry for this blog.
So, good news for a lot of people waiting for the next exhibition!

We are having another Yoshitaka Amano exhibit from June 18th (Sat) to July 9 (Sat). There is also a charity auction for 3 new brush works on canvas donated to us by the artist himself. The auction starts July 9th at 12PM and closes at 7:45PM.

More info about the general exhibit and auction can be found here at these respective links: Yoshitaka Amano FOR JAPAN, Charity Auction

It's super exciting and I'm a fan of his works, so this will be fun. Many of you likely know his artwork from the Final Fantasy series. Please drop by if you have a moment to enjoy all the art pieces in the gallery.

We also have a few T-shirts with his prints on them available at the store & online.

One small side note, we have a few new products at the store! Colorful iStand (iPhone silicon stands with a rubber suction cup on one end) by IDEA International in pink, green, white, and black.
Some info about it on the original Japanese IDEA International website can be found here: link.

10 more copies of the awesome The Oatmeal "5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth" books. An overall joy to read and if you are curious, please visit the author's site: the Oatmeal!

A few items from noted*:
Recesky Twin-Lens Reflex Camera - A cute little plastic DIY camera

KOLA Camera Accessory: Kolor Your Photos! - An interesting set of plastic filter gels to place over your camera lens or flash to get color effects

hanitape wallet - A wacky take on a little wallet for holding your credit cards and cash

Edamame DIY Growing Kit - Grow them out of a "beer cup"

Tatebanko Hokusai the Great Wave - A little pop-up art for your shelf in the study

FUN MOVIE TIMES FOR THE SUMMER

2011-06-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

I hope everyone is doing well~
Today I have news of fun movies coming up at the VIZ Cinema in NEW PEOPLE!

We will have another Japan earthquake & tsunami relief screening, and this time
"LINDA LINDA LINDA" Friday June 24th at 7PM.
Admission is free with a suggested donation starting from $10.

ABOUT THE FILM:
Only three days before their high school festival, guitarist Kei (Yu Kashii), drummer Kyoko (Aki Maeda of Battle Royale), and bassist Nozomi (Shiori Sekine) are forced to recruit a new lead singer for their band. They choose Korean exchange student Son (Doona Bae of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance), though her comprehension of Japanese is a bit rough! It’s a race against time as the group struggles to learn three tunes for the festival’s rock concert—including a classic 80’s punk-pop song called “Linda Linda” by the Japanese group The Blue Hearts.

More info & online ticket purchase can be found here: LINDA!

Then we have our
"CLASSIC" SUMMER WEEKENDS film series~~~~
Runs most summer weekends from June 25th (Sat) to August 21st (Sun) and they all start at 2PM. We'll have some awesome films by Kurosawa, Mizuguchi, Ozu, Teshigawara, Imamura, and Kobayashi. Be sure to catch them during your visits to the Japantown area!!
Further info can be found at this link: VIZ Cinema June 2011

Last piece of film related news, we will have
"TRIGUN: Badlands Rumble" showing July 15 (Fri) to July 17 (Sun).

Times are as follows
7/15 Fri 5pm, 7pm
7/16 Sat 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm
7/17 Sun 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm

Win free tickets here: click me!!

And before I go, please remember to check out our DADS & GRADS Campaign at the store & online: FOR DADS & GRADS
We have sales running up to 50% off, so don't forget to check it out!
More info is detailed on my previous blog post, but here's the url just in case: UNEEEQ!

UNEEEQ! FOR DADS AND GRADS

2011-05-31T09:07:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

As we know, the graduation season is upon us along with Father's Day coming up on June 19th.
We need to prep a little something to show the dads & grads in our lives a little appreciation & congratulations.

For our DADS & GRADS campaign, we have special on Giraffe designer ties at 50% off original prices.

A product by Giraffe Ties:

Ties are definitely not just for buttoning up. Tokyo's most radical tie-makers reach complete originality and a new dimension for neckties. With previously unchallenged shapes, materials, prints, designs, and pop culture collaborations, this "evolutionary" brand has turned formal accessorizing into an informally rebellious statement.

*Shop Giraffe Ties with us! We are located in San Francisco offering shipping within USA and worldwide.

Business card holders are plenty useful for the working dads and maybe for the grads joining the "real-world" workforce themselves.

GRAPHIA

Left to right & top to bottom: Red, Purple, Brown, Mint, Navy

SAKUMOTTO SONOIRO

Left to right & top to bottom: Melon Yellow, Night, Candy, Sky

SAIKAI Bamboo Business Card Holder

We're also continuing our promotional prices for SAKUMOTTO Artificial Grass Ribbons & Cases at 40% off!

Grass Case Regular

Grass Case w/ Turtle

Grass Case w/ Frog

Some useful gadgets like USB thumb drives shaped in unique forms? Fun and crazy calculators? Jumbo-sized desktop speakers shaped like earbuds?! But hey, why not a Volkswagen Van shaped stereo speaker/radio?

Master Key USB Thumb Drive

Ruler USB Thumb Drive

Barber USB Thumb Drive

10-Key Calculator

A product by IDEA INTERNATIONAL

Japan's long history and unique culture has created an original design vision. Minimal and innovative, Japanese design is known for imaginative and creative solutions and visual harmony. Beyond being a driving force in creating and promoting Japanese design, IDEA INTERNATIONAL supports designers from all over the world.

*Shop IDEA Products with us! We are located in San Francisco offering shipping within USA and worldwide.

Left to right: Beige, Black

CRASH Calculator

Left to right: Red, White, Black

SLIM Calculator

Left to Right: White Small, White Large, Black Large, Black Small

500XL Desktop Speaker

Volkswagen Van Stereo Speaker/Radio

Left to right: Green/Ivory, Red/Beige

Speaking of useful gadgets, for those who have touch-screen phones, this SANWA SUPPLIES Stylus 6-way Pen/Tool would be a great space-saving multi-function item.

It has a soft rubber tip stylus cap that can be removed to reveal a screwdriver head & a re-set pin (you pull it out to poke those reset buttons on devices). The other end has red & black ink pens that you twist clockwise or counter-clockwise to change between them.

For those who like to listen to their music with a little more style than the norm, we have ZUMREED Headphones. The colors are funky and loud, definitely cute for girl grads & something outrageous for the guys/dads (adds a nice pop of color to their fashion!).

Zumreed Square Headphones - Pink

We have a nice selection besides these pink ones, so check out the link!

Plus a few novelty items such as a little rubber man that tops your instant noodle lid (changes color when 3 minutes are up) and ultra squishy face-shaped stress relief balls.
Cupmen! - Available in Pink, Green, and Orange

CAOMARU Stress Relief Ball

Here is a link to the overall DADS & GRADS selection: click!!

Hope you find something fun and have a great Father's Day (big congrats to all the graduates)!
Angie

SUMMER AT LAST! MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND SPECIAL

2011-05-23T23:12:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Today, I have a great deal for you!

We are having our Memorial Day Weekend Special Sale, with sales up to 50% off.

Our special feature is on products from KYO-TO-TO, a company that takes the aesthetic values from both Tokyo & Kyoto and combine them into what you see here.
Our lovely tote bags.

Left to right clockwise: Flower, Crane, Thunder Shower

Our tenugui (hand towel):

Shower 3 Kosame

Shower

Calabash

Thunder Shower


Mist

Our coin purses:

Left to right clockwise: Goldfish, Fox, Sea Bream, Snow, Flower

Our hand fans:

Frog

Goldfish

Fox

=============================================

Aside from those, we have other deals like these cool GEL-COOL bento boxes!

The lid has a gel pack in it, so all you have to do to keep your lunchbox cool is to throw the lid into the freezer overnight & it'll be nice & fresh once you've packed your lunch/snacks!

Left to right: Sage/Lime, Pink/White, Red/Yellow

=============================================

As the summer is coming upon us, let's get us some lovely t-shirts.
How about these cool AMANO tees with awesome black & white graphics. Simple & chic, easy to pair with anything.

Gatcha-man

Girl

Sword

=============================================

20th Century Boys DVD Bundle Special - Saturday May 28 to Monday May 30th

Usually goes for $35, but for Memorial Day Weekend, it will be at a special price of $24.92.

=============================================

We have a few books for anyone who is interested in San Francisco and/or America in general & want to know a little more:

=============================================

The following items are not yet available through our online store, but you can definitely come pick them up during a trip to our physical store.

The Surf Shop

T-shirts

Comes in black, white, and gray

Totes

Comes in burgundy & black

Mugs

Comes in burgundy & black

=============================================

SAKUMOTTO Artificial Grass Ribbons/Bow-ties & Camera Cases

Who can say no to grass-like textured camera cases? It'll be a cute little reminder of fun picnic days outside during the spring & summer. Just be careful not to lose them in the real grass! (The one pictured in the photo is our plain grass one, but we have ones with bright frogs & turtles on them, so come down to check our display!).

As for the grass ribbons, you can wear these as bow-ties on your shirts or you can get a pair & place them on your boots like little ribbon bows. It's a cute versatile accessory for both the guys & girls. Luckily, these ribbons are available online, so you can purchase them here at this link.

Thanks for reading! Hope it wasn't an overwhelming post this time around, haha.
~ Angie

'EATRIP' DVD RELEASE SPECIAL EVENT

2011-05-13T13:29:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

For all of you out there who either missed the film 'eatrip' a while back or you caught it & want to see it again, here's your chance!

To celebrate the DVD release of food documentary film 'eatrip', we will be having a one-day screening on Saturday May 21st. Please come down to watch it; the film times are 3pm, 5pm, & 7pm.
A regular ticket is $10, but if you get a combo ticket for $25, you get a movie ticket, DVD, and poster!! Well worth it since DVDs go for at least $20~$25 on their own. Further event details here.

The actual street date of the DVD release is Tuesday May 24, so it's pretty exciting!
In the event you do miss the screening, we will be selling the 'eatrip' DVD in the NEW PEOPLE store for $24.92, including a free original movie poster with purchase.

We are now taking pre-orders through our webstore & at our physical location as well. So come on by!

Yum yum, enjoy it like these kids:

© 2009 stylejam

Have a nice day,
Angie

FUNDRAISING EFFORTS RAISE OVER $6000

2011-05-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!
A short post of good news~

Through all the fundraising efforts at NEW PEOPLE, we have "raised $6007.51 so far, and today we handed over this sum to JCCCNC who has organized the NORTHERN JAPAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUND." (link)

This all could not have happened without your contributions everyone! Thank you so much for your kindness, it really helps~

We will continue the fundraising efforts here at NEW PEOPLE with the showing of Kamikaze Girls on Sunday May 29, 2011 at 6pm in the VIZ Cinema (link). Free poster for all attendees my darlings!

Thanks everyone! Please spread the good news to your friends too (in case they don't read this blog).

Much ♥
Angie

MOTHER'S DAY GIFT IDEAS

2011-05-03T15:21:00.000-07:00

Hello all,
I hope everyone is doing well.

Today, I have a special product feature about Mother's Day gift ideas!
We all wonder what we can get our beloved moms who do so much for us and that's why I'm here to help.
What better than to get something unique from NEW PEOPLE the Store!?!

Here are a few suggestions from NP Store staff~

(1) BITOWA Containers
These are currently on 20% off sale with two types, ones made fully out of resin & ones made of wood with a resin coating. Wonderfully vibrant colors will add a bit of pop as useful decor. I'm sure many fashion-and-art-loving moms would appreciate these dainty containers as they can be used for storing various items while making an artsy statement on their desks/tables at work or home.

Cocoro - resin

Cute little cup type which is good for holding small accessories like rings.

Sakazuki - resin

Stack of cups that can be used for a variety of things, like a saké cup or cupcake/sweets bowl.

Shiki - wood

Interesting container with a pointed lid, great for an eye-catching addition as handy decoration on your desk or table. Gotta store them designer animal-shaped paper clips and rubber bands somewhere!

Haru - wood

A round cup type with a slightly flat shape which is good for storing larger accessories like watches or bracelets.

Aki - wood

Round flat medium-sized containers good for holding yummy little treats like bite-sized chocolates. Mmmm, yum.

Fuyu - wood

More round flat containers, but larger than the Aki; interesting ones for storing those lovely pearl necklaces, silver crystal pendants, and the like. Either that or we slap on some nice wax paper & place a few cookies out at a party.

(2) TSUYAKO Household Cleaner Sheets
Useful "magic" cleaner sheets, just add water! It comes in a cute little cardboard-like container, which can be used to hold small items like loose change. Ecological, compact, and just all-around handy. It really is just a fun little gift that helps around the house. Best part is that you can (and should) offer your services to help clean the house with this!

Tsuyako Home Eraser - 8 rolled sheets

(3) SIWA Totes
Handy and sturdy totes made out of paper! Hmm, paper? Now, maybe that sounds like they're not very strong, but they are made out of a material called "Naori" (polyolefin and wood pulp) which makes them resistant to tearing & water resistant. They have an incredibly soft cloth-like texture and comes in an array of colors. Cool totes for a mom on the go - shop till you drop is the motto haha.

SIWA @ the NP Webstore

Green Medium Tote

Red Flat Tote - at physical store only

Brown Small Box Tote - at physical store only

Of course, we have a few other SIWA products at the physical store, so if you're in the area, please drop by to check out our selection~

(4) Ripple Sand Clock
A 3-minute hourglass shaped sand "clock" by I.D.E.A. International; just enough time to make some tea (or cup ramen)! The beautiful ripple wave design makes it a lovely piece to display so it 's always fun to use. With three different color choices in frost white with pink sand; white with white sand; and maple brown with dark brown sand, it's hard to resist getting them all! Let mom know she can relax for a cup of tea while enjoying the delight of watching the sand run, as you shower her with love by doing the chores.

Ripple Sand Clock @ the NP Webstore

Pink

White

Brown

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following are a few other suggested products not yet available at the online store, but definitely worth checking out!

(5) KYO-TO-TO
Products made with designs from both Tokyo & Kyoto aesthetics, these are cool items with a more "traditional" Japanese feel.

Uchiwa/Hand Fans - $19.50

Lovely hand fans with pretty embroidery & patterns; help mom keep cool during the warmer months ahead.

Coin Purses - $36.50

Fun coin purses with beautiful embroidery; good for holding makeup or knick-knacks to help keep mom's purse organized.

Totes - $39

More totes than you can handle! (Sorry for the lame pun-joke) Quirky patterns make it a fun tote for mom when she wants to pack a few books (or whatever she needs while on the go) to take with her.

(6) TAKARA GALLERY T-shirts

Currently going for half off the original price of $45, you can get mom a cute designer t-shirt for $22.50! Unique and interesting, each design has a little tag noting the meaning behind the print.

Zebra - Takeshi Yamakawa

" 「つながり- connection-」
I was conscious of "connection". People feel that the zebra's stripes are either being created, or, they're being "striped" away. The future is connected to the present.
http://www.takara-garo.com/?pid=21724333 "

HaruNatsu - Mari Doigawa

" 「はるなつ - HaruNatsu-」
Short sleeve t-shirts are worn during spring and summer, right? I was thinking about spring summer, spring summer... and then I drew that picture. The letters amuse me.
http://www.takara-garo.com/?pid=21000858"

Alphabet - Mari Doigawa

"「untitled」
Actually the letter's form is interesting. I'm used to seeing those figures, so I didn't think about it. I'm playing with the Alphabet, which is familiar.
http://www.takara-garo.com/?pid=19409231 "

Last, but not least!

Here's a quick little peek at our display before we sign off for the day :)

Thanks for reading & I hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day with your awesome moms!!

Angie

TORAFU AND OTHER NEWS

2011-04-26T17:25:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
Hope you had a lovely time at the Cherry Blossom Festival a couple of weeks back.
There were lots of yummy food and interesting vendors~

I would like to say a big Otsukare-sama ("thanks for the hard work") to everyone who participated in such a grand event.

And, onward to the news I had saved from last time.
I don't know how many of you know about who designed our store, but TORAFU Architects (from Tokyo) has recently done a grandiose collaboration project with WOW design studio (from Florence) for Milan Design Week. They designed a huge light projection display using Canon products "exhibiting scenes that range from abstract colors and patterns to sped footage of the rising and setting sun over cities and tundras."

You can see more of it here at this link: canon neoreal wonder

Also, we have a cool sun umbrella/parasol clock by Kota Nezu!

We have a sample of the product in our store & it is a special order product (takes about 1 week to ship to your home). The neat feature about it is that when you raise it up to the sun, you can tell the time! There is a compass included so you can arrange your position correctly.

More info can be found here at the following link: Incredible Things

Last but not least, we have merchandise from the Oatmeal! If you're not familiar with the Oatmeal, you can check out the site at this link: the OATMEAL

Here is a peek at all the merch we're selling (books signed by the author himself, t-shirts, mugs, posters, and sticker sets!)

Pretty interesting stuff if you ask me :D
Until next time, I hope you all have a lovely week~

Angie

FUNDRAISER FILM & CHERRY BLOSSOM FEST 2ND RUN

2011-04-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

Hello lovelies,
A few announcements before I get into Cherry Blossom Festival news.

We have another Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Relief fundraiser film showing.
The Taste of Tea will be in the VIZ Cinema on Sunday, April 17th at 3:30pm. Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $10 or more at the box office. The trailer for this film actually plays at NEW PEOPLE the Store, so you can get a glimpse of it to see if it's to your taste.

There are a few other films being shown in the VIZ Cinema too, so if you're not free to come down for The Taste of Tea, you can check the listings here.

We have a few cool Yoshitaka Amano collaboration t-shirts selling at the unbelievable price of $10! They're simple black sketch art on white t-shirts, but that makes it easy to coordinate outfits with.

Here's a few shots of the staff wearing each one.

Now, onwards to our Cherry Blossom Festival announcement!
I'm not sure how many noticed these when they visited last weekend, but we have cute Sakura Sets & Tie Sets. These are fun as a darling gift for a loved one or just a little something for yourself~

Sakura Set A ($20, valued at $35.95):

The set contains a cute floral candle, pink notebook, and deco tape!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sakura Set B ($15, valued at $20.95~$22.95):

The set contains a cute floral candle, pink notebook, and Cherry Blossom hand soap!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tie Set A ($100, valued at $188~$198):

The set contains a Giraffe designer tie, Sonoiro card case, and a cool Pilot Birdy Switch Pen/Pencil~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tie Set B ($100, valued at $143~$153):

The set contains a Giraffe designer tie, Graphia card case, and a Pilot Birdy Switch Pen/Pencil!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tie Set C ($110, valued at $233.92):

This set is for all the Detroit Metal City fans out there; containing a Giraffe designer DMC tie, Detroit Metal City DVD, and a matching Sonoiro card case!!

Cool stuff, and a thanks to Raymond (my co-worker) for coming up with the tie sets (a little something for the guys as opposed to the pink Sakura sets).

Alrighties, I have other announcements to make on backlog, but we'll save that for later~

I look forward to seeing you all for the 2nd Cherry Blossom Fest weekend!
Angie

CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK - CARLA

2011-04-13T17:57:00.000-07:00

This week's feature is on Ms. Carla's awesome re-make of our Wasara plates & bowls~

Such beautiful painting, simple but effective.

And a little commentary by Ms. Carla herself~

"Hello, my name is Carla!
WHERE ARE YOU VISITING/WRITING US FROM?
[At] this moment I am glancing out our front room which is actually the back of the building which faces west. I have a great view of backyards with trees blooming and leafs unfurling. The sun is setting and there are silhouettes of various trees in the distance. I am in San Francisco.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THE PRODUCT?
The Japanese reusable [Wasara] paper plates are fabulous! When I first saw them a month or so ago I was immediately captivated by the classic shapes which seemed to be begging to be embellished. They have a great fine texture which is lovely to draw/paint on.

HOW DO YOU USE THE PRODUCT?
I used color markers with a fine point and also those with a brush on the end [to paint/draw on them]. No particular use except to look at them as if they are little sculptures.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT NEW PEOPLE the Store?
Everything. Every little thing in New People gets my mind whirling around thinking about new ideas, fun things to do and create and simply fun items to peruse. New People is one my top favorite stores in San Francisco. It's a little bit like a library and a little bit like a museum and a little bit like a toy store. It's always quiet and peaceful and the staff is wonderful.

TELL US SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT YOURSELF (EX. YOUR CURRENT OBSESSION/HOBBY, WHERE HAVE YOU TRAVELED TO, WHERE DO YOU WANT TO TRAVEL NEXT, WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN, ETC.)
Hand embroidery is my passion and I have a long history of embellishing "nude" items through various mediums. I am a long time recycler and like giving new life to old things, ie: eco friendly, refashioning, etc. I create necklaces, cuffs, and neckties (for men and women) from vintage or gently used neck ties, upholstery and sample fabrics. I also include found objects, old buttons, misc items in my decorative pieces. See my Etsy Shop: www.madrigalembroidery.etsy.com

I do alot of walking and looking around and read quite alot. Three years ago we traveled to Norway which we loved. We travel light with a wash one wear one philosophy. Next destination unknown at this point."

I would like to thank Ms. Carla for giving us permission to do a feature on her creative crafts. If you, my dear readers, would like to see more of her work please visit her site listed above (here again in case you missed it!)

And for those of you who would like to further your donations for Japan Relief (this time for the animals), you should definitely check out Ms. Carla's beautiful card:

Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue Card
Please remember, a little goes a long way if we all try our best.

Thank you all for reading & if you would like to be featured next, please contact us at info@newpeoplestore.com or contact me personally at angie@newpeoplestore.com. Guidelines for what to write to us about are here at this link.

Much love,
Angie

CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL 1ST WEEKEND

2011-04-09T00:18:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
It's been a little while since I last wrote~ How have you all been?
Hopefully well & very excited for this weekend!!

Reason being that it's going to be the first weekend of the Cherry Blossom Festival~~
Lots of fun things are happening, so if you're in the area, don't forget to come visit the NEW PEOPLE building.

SAKURA SAKURA is showing in the VIZ Cinema through Thursday April 14th. From the synopsis, it seems like an interesting film about bridging the gap between two nations, hopefully reaffirming our ideal of peaceful understanding between the different peoples of the world. It is also pretty intriguing to watch a film that touches on the research that helped advance medical technology to what it is today (although we don't really know how much focus will be on this aspect until we watch it!).

Our Hafu Photo Exhibit will be open in the SUPERFROG Gallery (3rd Floor) starting this Sunday April 10 through Wednesday April 13, so please come have a look.

During both weekends of the Cherry Blossom Festival, NEW PEOPLE will be hosting its 4th Artist Village with Bazaar Bizarre SF. You can check out the vendor list here. I love handmade items & the sight of numerous creative craft gathered in one area, so it'll be such a delightful event for me. I hope to be able to break away from the store long enough to take a look myself, haha.

Last announcement for the day (I apologize for the lateness...but the store staff has been busy with preparing for the festival):
We will have some special promotional item sets with a "Spring" and "Cherry Blossom" theme to it.
One type will be a set of a cute pink notebook, a floral candle, and either deco tape or cherry blossom soap. The price is either $15 or $20 depending on the set, but we'll have signs labeling things and helpful staff to answer any questions you may have.

The other type will be a tie set, and while it may be a little more "businessman oriented," I assure you it will make a nice spring gift for a loved one or even yourself! Many refreshing colors and fun designs, so come take a look at what we have to offer.

Ah, the excitement is hard to conceal...so much so I decided to make a little craft of my own~
A NEW PEOPLE floral brooch! Just a little something to welcome in the spring and all our visitors.

I hope to see everyone at the festival~ More info about the Cherry Blossom Festival can be found at this link.

Later gators,

Angie

SPRING FUN

2011-04-01T16:49:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

A few things to announce~
We have our Gundam UC marathon going on this weekend April 2~3.
Please check this link for more info.
The raffle for free tickets is now over, but those who purchased the combo ticket will be eligible for a free poster~~ So don't miss out guys!
Congratulations to our raffle winner, Chandler!!

Don't forget about Vuduberi's Weekend Trunk Show going on during the same weekend April 2~3.

SAKURA SAKURA movie ticket raffle going on now! (closes Monday, 4/4 at 5pm so make sure to enter now)
Screening: Friday, 4/8 – Thursday 4/14

Happening tomorrow April 2nd, we also have the "Hitotsu" - As ONE: Art Auction going on at 7PM in the SUPERFROG Gallery (3rd floor). Animation & Film artists will be auctioning their original art pieces to benefit Japan relief fund with Mercy Corps. Some of the great contributors will be Pixar, LucasFilms, Dreamworks, Nickelodeon to name a few~~ Very exciting stuff, so don't miss it :P

The HAFU Photo Exhibit is coming up Saturday April 9th!!
Our beloved 3rd floor SUPERFROG Gallery is going to be open and waiting for your visit. Thank you all for your patience as I know many of you have inquired about when it'll be open again. So definitely please come check out this photo exhibit when you're in the area.

AND!!! (I know, too many exclamation points, but everything is so fun :D)
The HULA GIRLS screening pulled in $5,024 for Japan~~~~~ A huge huge thank you to all who attended the screening & donated to a good cause. We really do appreciate every little bit, so I'd like to extend our utmost gratitude to you all.

So, that's it for now. I have more announcements to make later on, but we'll save that for another day.

Thank you for reading & take care,
Angie

FUN APRIL BEGINNINGS

2011-03-27T12:46:00.000-07:00

Hey there everyone,

Thank you all for coming down yesterday for the fundraiser film showing of Hula Girls and for all your generous donations. I hope everyone enjoyed the film and had a grand time here in the NEW PEOPLE building.

Next weekend April 2 (Sat) and April 3 (Sun), we have a few things going on, so be sure to come down to visit if you are free~

We have the Gundam UC marathon going on in the VIZ Cinema. As I've mentioned before, there are both subbed & dubbed versions and you can find more info on those here. I quite like the Gundam series myself, so I'm excited for this. Unfortunately I will be working most of the time the showings are on, so please let me know your thoughts (no spoilers please!) in person at the store if you see me!

Also happening on the same weekend is Vuduberi's Weekend Trunk Show
I checked out their stuff on their website and it is extremely ADORABLE!
I think if I got a free moment to go check out their things, I'd buy them all. It also adds to the obsession since I love hand-made crafts (I do them myself, but nothing nearly as cute).
Fun times, fun times.

One last note, we have a special at NEW PEOPLE the Store.
If you buy our Pilot Switch Pen/Pencil (located near the register) along with a planner, we tack on an additional 20% off the regular price of the planner (total for 70% off regular price).
Please take note that this special is only applicable at the store, not online.

As always, if you should have any questions, feel free to drop a comment here or contact us via e-mail/phone.

P.S. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter~ A link is located on our left-hand side bar :)

P.P.S. Japan Nite ends tonight!!! It's at the Independent in San Francisco~ Doors open at 7:30PM and showtime at 8PM! Don't miss out :)

Thanks & hope to see you next weekend,
Angie

FUNDRAISER FILM SCREENING: HULA GIRLS

2011-03-25T16:12:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

Just a quick little reminder that we have a fundraiser film screening of Hula Girls down at the VIZ cinema in the NEW PEOPLE building.

It will be tomorrow, Saturday March 26th @ 2:00, 4:30, 7:00PM.

The admission is free with suggested donations from $10 that could be donated at VIZ Cinema or through the online box office ( **For online purchases, online service fee will be charged. )

100% of proceeds will be donated to NORTHERN JAPAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUNDS by Japantown's JCCCNC

All of it is for a good cause, so feel free to drop on by to catch an interesting film while making an awesome donation at the same time. Two birds with one stone, sort to speak.

Other upcoming films:

Saturday April 2 - Sunday April 3: Gundam UC (Unicorn) both subbed & dubbed versions

For more info: Gundam UC
Ticket giveaway!!

Friday April 8 - Thursday April 14: SAKURA SAKURA

For more info: SAKURA SAKURA

Saturday April 16 - Wednesday April 20: 99 Years of Love: Japanese Americans

For more info: 99 Years of Love

Oh, one last thing. We now have a Twitter, so feel free to subscribe to our tweets!! You can follow us by clicking on the little icon in the left-hand side bar.

That's it for now, take care!!
Angie

CREATIVE (BUT SIMPLE) RE-MAKE

2011-03-22T13:52:00.000-07:00

Hey all!
Hope you are all doing well.

Today, I have a fun little project for everyone who is interested in those planners with the external zip-lock like pocket or ones with a simple clear plastic cover. This only applies to ones with completely (or at least 80%) transparent covers or it won't work out, sorry!

So let's say, you don't quite like the plainness of a particular one.
To solve that, we can easily insert some cute embellishments to add our own flair to it.
Here's a list of things you can add:

stickers (just cut them out of the sticker sheet so you can still use them later if you want to)
stationery (letter paper)
wrapping paper
photographs
fabric with cute prints
simple cards with ribbon attached to it
postcards
origami

For example, this cute Delfonics linen planner in coral pink.

The cute pink color is awesome as is, but maybe nothing special or not as fun to look at.
You can easily add a photograph of your darling pet or loved one or (pictured below) add cute stickers without ruining the finish (and it makes it easy to change out when you get bored of that):

To do so, you just take the plastic sleeve cover off, pulling out the actual planner covers gently. Insert what you want and gently slide the planner cover back into the plastic sleeve cover.

You can do the same with this polka-dotted Delfonics planner as well (pictured with postcard).

Before:	After:

It even works for semi-transparent colored Mark's Diary 2011 planners (just insert into the actual zip-lock pocket if you don't intend to really use the pocket for much else).

Before:	After:

And, for my particular planner which is a Mark's collaboration with the awesome artist, Yoshitomo Nara.
Before:

After (front):	After (back):

Don't get me wrong here, I like his artwork a lot! But it was a little too busy & colorful for my own tastes with planners, so I toned it down with some cute stationery I had lying around. Maybe in your minds you are thinking I should have just chosen a different planner altogether if I was going to do this. But the usefulness of the one I chose fits my needs. It's an appointment planner so it breaks down the days with an hourly schedule; good for those who like using MS Excel for grid scheduling/planning but on the go without a computer handy.

Another plus of the Yoshitomo Nara ones is the plastic cover is completely transparent (except for the printed words on the outside), so no need to use the zip-lock pocket up; and they are 60% off!!!

Anyways, the good news is that you can get a bunch of these decoration materials at NEW PEOPLE the Store! Planners are on sale, so using the money you would have spent for a full priced one can now be spent on deco materials~ This makes us all happy pandas :)

If you have any questions about how to design a cute cover of your own, feel free to comment here on the blog, leaving a contact e-mail so I can send you detailed replies without spamming the blog itself.
Also, please feel free to send me some feedback about what I blog on here. You can give me suggestions on what to write about & I'll do my best to make it an interesting read.

Thanks & stay well,
Angie

JAPAN'S EARTHQUAKE & TSUNAMI RELIEF

2011-03-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hey there everyone,

As the recent news of continuing earthquakes and various other serious issues arising from the nuclear plants' instability is disconcerting, you can help out by donating to the relief fund.

There are likely many of you who know already, but for those of you who don't, we have a donation box set up at the cafe in the NEW PEOPLE building. All donations will be sent to trusted affiliated organizations, so it will definitely get to where it needs to go.

Further details can be read at our main website: NEW PEOPLE Donate to Japan Relief!

Every little bit you can donate counts!
I'm not sure of our current sum, but I would like to extend my utmost gratitude to all the people who have stopped in to donate or have donated via other sources/methods as well.

Let's do our best to help each other in times of need.

Stay safe everyone,
Angie

ASIAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL

2011-03-11T14:48:00.000-08:00

Hey there everyone!
Today is pretty sunny after the crazy weather yesterday...

Actually, there is something else that I'm concerned about besides the Asian American Film Festival. I'll get to the film festival in a second, but would like to talk a little bit about the recent huge earthquake in Japan and numerous tsunami warnings all over for coastal areas & islands.

As most people know from the news & likely numerous amounts of social outlet posts, it was really devastating and I, having a few friends in Japan, am quite worried about the situation. Certainly, a lot of my friends in Japan have already posted on Facebook, etc to let everyone know that they are doing ok, but it's still quite scary to think about those who haven't reported in yet....

Hopefully for all of you who have loved ones back in Japan, everyone reports in as being safe and doing well as soon as they can. My thoughts & prayers go out to all the people in Japan & the surrounding areas. There are numerous tsunami warnings too, so please keep up with the news reports in your area if you will be affected.

Ok, about the film festival. (And I apologize for the heavy topic beforehand, but it is an important thing to mention)
We have a few showings today in the VIZ cinema located in the basement floor of the New People building:
Summer Pasture (Documentary) @ 6:30PM
Chicken Proof (Shorts) @ 9:30PM

You can check our website for listings of future film showings at NEW PEOPLE films
If you have any questions, feel free to inquire either on this blog or at info@vizcinema.com.

Thanks, and keep safe!!
Angie

NEW NEWS & NEW PEOPLE

2011-03-06T12:51:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

My name is Angie, a recent addition to NEW PEOPLE the Store staff, & I will be taking over the blog from now on. I'm an English-Japanese-Cantonese speaking San Francisco native with numerous interests in anime/manga, music (visual kei/j-rock anyone? Of course I like all types of music as long as it has a good beat), fashion, and drawing in my free time. All of which when I'm not trying to program Flash games/JAVA apps.

Thank you everyone for your patience with me as I get acquainted with everything & everyone. And of course, thanks goes to all my co-workers past & present for showing me the ropes.

Besides that little bit of news, we have a few more things in stock now.
We have some BITOWA containers, which are on sale at 20% off, in several lovely colors: turquoise green, navy, yellow green, & white.

Yayoi Kusama's Furniture by graf: decorative mode no.3
It's an interesting book to flip through; unique designs & fun colors. Please note that there is minor nudity, but tastefully done.

Very Small Cafes & Restaurants by John Stones
This has some really interesting floor plans of some of the most crazily designed cafes & restaurants. The photos are shot at beautiful angles that let you see some of the character of these establishments.

Also for those of you who love Gloomy the Naughty Grizzly, we have some iPhone 3G/3GS cases, calendars, and cute BE@RBRICK keychains.

A few more announcements; there are still a few other sales going on.
Planners & calendars are 50% off and various other items ranging from 20~60% off!! Be sure to come down & catch them before they're gone.

The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival starts March 10th! We actually have a few films showing at the VIZ cinema in the basement floor of the NEW PEOPLE building.
"M/F REMIX", "Resident Aliens", "Peace", "Silent Rituals and Hovering Proxies", and "Suite Suite Chinatown" to name a few. It's $12 for a general admission ticket and a $60 6-movie pass (for the price of 5!!). If you are planning to watch a few, I'd suggest the $60 pass.
More info on the event and ticket purchases can be found on their website at CAAMEDIA.org.

And I don't know how many of you know, but Japan Nite US tour 2011 is going down starting Friday March 18th in Austin, Texas! It will land in San Francisco Sunday March 27th at the Independent. More info can be found on their website at www.myspace.com/japannite.

Phew, that was a long long first post for me, but I hope it was an interesting & informative read.

Best regards,
Angie

AUDRI'S LAST POST

2011-02-11T11:41:00.000-08:00

Hi all! Audri here,

Not that long ago Shellee left New People to pursue her academic goals. I have decided to do the same, and so I will be leaving New People and the NEW PEOPLE Blog. It's the end of an era! I'm not sure who will be taking the blog from here on out, but whoever it is that comes into this role after Shellee and I, be sure to take care of them! Hopefully we'll run into each other here from time to time as customers, though.

A lot has changed since New People opened their doors in 2009! I started out as a barista in the cafe and then worked as a floater for a bit before settling into store life. This place has definitely been a big part of my experience in San Francisco up until now, and I thank it for bringing me together with the people that I have met here. I'll miss you guys!

Much Love,
Audri

HAPPY NEW YEAR(S)!

2011-02-07T13:03:00.000-08:00

Hellooooo New People people!

Sorry for the loooong delay in posting! Things here at New People have been hectic to say the least! The holidays were a blast, and we were so happy to see so many of our blog readers coming in and saying hi to us!

If you missed our holiday sales you'll be happy to know that a lot of those same sales are still going on, AND as if that weren't cool enough, all planners and calendars have gone to 50% off! We've got some pretty awesome planners in here so take advantage of the sale while supplies last :) We've also received a few new items and some new postcards (who doesn't love postcards?!), so come say hello and see what's new over here!

I have a big announcement, but we'll save that for another post.

See you later!
-Audri

AFTER CHRISTMAS SALE!!

2010-12-26T15:26:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! If you hurry you can still make it to our post-Christmas sale! TODAY ONLY everything in the store is on sale from anywhere between 20%-40% off! These deals won't last till tomorrow, BUT not to worry! Many (but not all) of our great items will remain on sale from 12/27~1/12 (and don't forget the New Years Sale that follows that up!)!

We hope to see you here!! And don't forget, we do phone orders!

Also, please note that tomorrow we will be opening at noon.

XOXOX

FAREWELL, SHELLEE!

2010-12-26T12:11:00.000-08:00

Firstly I want to say good luck to Shellee on her goals and endeavors!

It is with great regret that I (Audri) and the blog must say farewell to our co-blogger Shellee, who has decided to go back to school to pursue great new career paths and opportunities! We'll all really miss you Shellee, especially me! We can't thank you enough for the great work you've done for the blog and also for NEW PEOPLE The Store! Just from knowing you and seeing how sharp you are I know you're going to do great in school.

We won't forget all the great work and the fun times we had together here!

GOOD LUCK, SHELLEE!!!

HOLIDAY GIFT RECOMMENDATION: DREAMS PUSH PIN LIGHT

2010-12-15T16:08:00.000-08:00

Add some personality and creativity to your room.

Perfect as stocking stuffers, these push pin lights are among our favorites this holiday season! Use them to hold up a poster, spell out words, or to create multicolored images on your bedroom walls!

The LED light lasts up to 24 hours of continuous use.

Dreams Push Pin Light, price: $4.80 each

HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS!

2010-12-11T13:57:00.000-08:00

We are very excited to see some of our favorite products make it on the San Francisco Chronicle's and the Bay Guardian's holiday gift guides! Click on the links to check them out!

Holiday gift guides: From stocking stuffers to perfect presents (San Francisco Chronicle)

Soap Tama no Hada Zakuro [price: $36]

50 cute-as-heck gifts for $10 and under (San Francisco Bay Guardian)

ZING! launch your lunch [price: $5.50]

SOUPER! bif! bam! pow! let's eat! [price: $10]

SUPER KUTANI INSECT PROJECT @ NEW PEOPLE THE STORE

2010-12-09T15:34:00.000-08:00

It's a bug invasion. A breathtakingly beautiful bug invasion, that is.

From November 26 to December 24, 2010, handpainted ceramic bugs and snails are taking the spotlight at NEW PEOPLE the Store. Originating in the mid-17th century from the Ishikawa prefecture in Japan, Kutani is a style of Japanese ceramic that uses high-quality clay and bold multi-colored designs. After the discovery of a clay mine in the village of Kutani, a kiln was set up and the production of beautiful Kutani porcelain began. This style of ceramic-making, however, disappeared in the early 1700s and was restored eighty years later.

Kutanijuku is a group of talented craftsmen and visionary people who appreciate the Kutani tradition and have decided to pursue the mission to breathe new life into it and give it a place in the modern world. Established in 2006, their combined artistic sensibilities and production abilities has resulted in some really unique pieces worthy of a spot in a collectors' shelf.

Enter the Super Kutani Insect Project: In this collection, Kutanijuku has created 10 beautiful ceramic sculptures of beetles, 5 of them in the image of a unicorn beetle and 5 of a stag beetle, in various vivid colors and designs. All 10 are available for viewing and purchase at NEW PEOPLE the Store until December 24 only.

Beetles: body made of porcelain, legs silver

Snails: body made of porcelain, silver feelers

Feel free to contact us at 415 525 8630 or email us at info@newpeoplestore.com if you have any questions or if you would like to purchase a piece of this enduring tradition.

- Shellee

SPECIAL HOLIDAY SALE UNTIL DECEMBER 24 ONLY!

2010-12-08T14:06:00.000-08:00

Gel-Cool Earth Bento Boxes [regular price: $55, now $38.50]

Stop by the store for some amazing deals this holiday season. We are so glad that you enjoyed our After Thanksgiving sale, so we are extending it until December 24! Various items are currently on sale from 10% to 30% off: such as our popular Gel-Cool bento boxes, Adachi Paper Knife and Rescue Board, Amabro Choku Soba Cup, Duller Metal Pen Case + Pen Set, Soopsori Play Chef, and so much more!!! Plus, of course, we also have our clearance section, which is always stocked with interestingly cool treasures! Let us help you complete your Christmas shopping!

Adachi Paper Knife [regular price: $59, now $47.20]

Paper Knife

Designed by Takashi Ashitomi for Adachi Shiki Kogyo Co., Ltd.
Made with vulcanised fibre

Adachi Rescue Board [regular price $250, now $200]

Rescue Board

Designed by Hiroyuki Tazawa for Adachi Shiki Kogyo Co., Ltd.
Made with recycled paper

Amabro Choku Soba Cup [regular price $65, now $52]

Soba Cup

From Arita area in the Saga prefecture, known for making great porcelains for hundreds of years
The "Soba Choku" was first created in Japan in the 17th century and was traditionally used as a cup for sauces where you would dip your noodles in

Duller Metal Pen Case + Pen Set [regular price $54.95, now $46.71]

Metal Pen Case + Pen Set

Designed by Naori Miyazaki for Idea International
Set consists of an aluminum ballpoint pen and mechanical pencil

Soopsori Play Chef 15 pieces [regular price $79.95, now $71.96]

Play Chef

Made from natural wood finished with linseed oil
Child-safe design and environmentally-friendly

Fancy something that's not on our list of sale items? Don't worry! We'll still help you save on your purchase! Simply say TALK TO STRANGERS at the register, and you will get 10% OFF on all regular-priced items that you purchase. This phrase is valid until the end of December. Minimum $20 purchase required.

Unable to come in to the store? Check out our online store! As part of our holiday promotion, we are offering a Christmas Bundle of 3 DVDs + a poster for $35 through our online store only! The titles included in the set are: Hula Girls, Happily Ever After, and Maiko Haaaan!!! Each DVD is regularly priced from $24.92 to $29.92 each, so that's incredible savings of more than 50%!!! Available until December 30 only.

HAZARD CAT PART DEUX!

2010-12-05T12:12:00.000-08:00

Proof that cats will try to fit into ANY box they see.

Audri's cat, Kumo decides to "help" with the
gift wrapping from inside a hidden animal box sleeve.

It's also proof that cats will do weird things in the name of driving you crazy (note the wet fur from his attempt to unravel the mysteries of the kitchen faucet). *sigh*

COUNTDOWN TO THE HOLIDAYS: CHRISTMAS CANDLE

2010-11-28T11:20:00.000-08:00

At Christmas time we dream of sweet things, candlelight flickering joyfully around us, and of course jolly, gift-bringing Santa Claus. Could that be why this Christmas Candle is so great for those of us who love to decorate?! It's all of those things wrapped up into one fantastically realistic bundle!

Don't be fooled! This is not really Christmas cake, but it sure does look good enough to eat! It smells good enough to eat, too. It has three wicks that you can light on it; One on top of Santa's hat and also each strawberry stem is a burnable wick.

Ho ho ho!!!

Burn it or just keep it as a yearly decoration for your centerpiece or coffee table, either way I think you'll really love this addition to your Christmas family. It really sets a cheery Christmas mood! Supplies are limited! Take home a sweet Christmas Cake Candle while you still can!

And don't forget!!! We accept phone orders!

BOTANIC GIFT SHIPMENT HAS ARRIVED!

2010-11-23T16:23:00.000-08:00

It's a little late, but I just wanted to let everyone know that the Botanic Gifts shipment of terrariums arrived last sunday! We now have small bubble terrariums as well as a few new medium sized vessels. We've also received a limited number of succulents for those of you who had requested them before!

We apologize to anyone who may have needed a replant this month, we were unable to send out an email notice to our existing botanic gift customers due to this shipment being a very sudden one with little prior notice. This was a mistake on our part, and partially holiday madness causing a few small hiccups.

We'll be absolutely sure to notify everyone next month before Botanic Gifts comes, just in case anyone needs a refresher in their terrariums!

VOL. 7: NINJA ATTACK! - THE AFTERMATH

2010-11-22T16:01:00.000-08:00

It was an adventure. It was mysterious. It was deadly. In the dark of night I snuck silently into Saturday's TokyoScope Talk, at which point Patrick Macias proceeded to drop from the ceiling and dismember my previous concepts about something we all know and love: NINJAS!

There wasn't much of a fight, as Patrick had me flailing in my seat with laughter (and sometimes had me cringing too!), too weak to fight against the draw and sheer bizarrity of ninja lore told only the way Patrick so masterfully does.

Hubba hubba! Do you come to this rice field often?

The talk followed not only some crunchy tidbits of true ninja past, but the time line of ninjas in popular media; this meant sweet heaping helpings of movie clips and tv spots that most of us never even knew existed! Shonen Ninja Kaze No Fujimaru, Shinobi No Mono, Super Ninjas... Seriously, some of that stuff was just way way out there, and who can resist hidden pop culture gems like these?

One of the most awesome parts of the night (for me) was when I won the raffle and received one of 5 copies of NINJA ATTACK! which I am now reading with much glee (review to come). Sweeeet!

If you missed this talk keep an eye out for future TokyoScope events here at NEW PEOPLE! If you want to know more about Patrick Macias and what he does, why not take a quick swing by his blog and check him out. He's always got an interesting thought to spare!

I hope to see you at the next one!

ヘ(^_^ヘ),
Audri

RANDOM INTERLUDE

2010-11-20T14:17:00.000-08:00

After a mad cleaning spree at my apartment last week (which was promptly undone by my cat) I came across some old photos I had taken last spring while exploring the wonderful world of Lomography.

I think I'll have to go dust off the old camera collection and take another walk around Japantown soon! I forgot how much fun I had with this stuff. What do you guys think I should try to snap a picture of? Maybe this can be something like a scavenger hunt, with you directing me!

See ya later,

-Audri

TOKYOSCOPE VOL. 7: NINJA ATTACK!

2010-11-19T15:07:00.000-08:00

Patrick Macias is coming to New People, and watch your back because this time he's bringing NINJAS! TokyoScope Talk, Vol. 7 – NINJA ATTACK! will drop out of the ceiling and assassinate you on Saturday, November 20th at 7:15pm, so be ready for it! Tickets are only $10.00, and trust me, it's worth it.

Patrick Macias' TokyoScope talks are informative, hilarious, and quirky. In a word: Superfun! Tomorrow's talk is produced in association with Matt Alt, co-author of the new book Ninja Attack! True Tales of Assassins, Samurai, and Outlaws (published by Kodansha International). The historical facts found in this book are better (and often stranger) than fiction; they're so entertaining you'd have a hard time not getting sucked into the amazing true adventures and surprising trivia surrounding the true life of real ninjas!

Everyone who joins us at the TokyoScope talk tomorrow will be automatically entered to win a copy of Ninja Attack! True Tales of Assassins, Samurai, and Outlaw for themselves! The book is also available for sale at NEW PEOPLE The Store during regular business hours! Join me there tomorrow! I look forward to seeing everyone and to seeing what awesome video clips and crazy facts Patrick has in store for us!

♥♥♥,
Audri

COUNTDOWN TO THE HOLIDAYS: OLIVE THE OTHER REINDEER

2010-11-18T17:18:00.000-08:00

Based on the popular Olive, The Other Reindeer character and animation, this is a must have in the house if holiday decorations are on your list of things to have at home. With the Olive The Other Reindeer pop up advent calendar its a much more literal "countdown" to the holidays!

This is the perfect thing to have around the house for Christmas time, especially if you've got little ones who are probably buzzing with excitement for the Christmas morning in their near future!

Starting on December 1st and ending on Christmas day, there's a new character behind each window of the calendar to add in daily to the wintery Olive scene! Elves, reindeer, even Olive herself join in on the party!

By Christmas day you'll have a full house and a fun memory to keep with you!

Olive in action: What Olive scene will you create?

A HOLIDAY FAIRYTALE (SHELLEE'S HOLIDAY RECOMMENDATION)

2010-11-14T11:09:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time in a land called Japantown, there existed a kingdom named NEW PEOPLE that ruled over four different realms: a cafe that serves Blue Bottle coffee and Delica meals, a state-of the-art cinema that plays Japanese films and animes, a fashion floor that offers the latest and the cutest styles of clothing and footwear, an art gallery that is forward-thinking and features conceptual art, and a store that is full of design goods and unique ideas.

Everything was good and in perfect harmony with one another.
One day, as the holidays drew closer, NEW PEOPLE the Store received some new merchandise: fairytale-themed ceramic kitchenware from imm Living Inc!

Dancing Princesses Bottle Opener designed by Michael R. Madjus.
Price: $20.

Emperor's New Clothes Napkin Rings designed by Andrea Kezdi.
Price: $40 for a set of 4.

Hidden Animal Teacups designed by
Ange-line Tetrault. Price: $18 each.
Owl, Fox, Bear available.

A set of 4 napkin rings designed by Andrea Kezdi inspired by the famous tale The Emperor's New Clothes, a bottle opener in the shape of a shoe of one of the twelve dancing princesses (designed by Michael R. Madjus) that will certainly make even Cinderella jealous, and magical teacups with hidden animals designed by Ange-line Tetrault worthy of a tea party in Wonderland! All items are indeed very charming, and perfect for the holidays, exclaimed Shellee, one of the store's bloggers. Oh I just cannot wait to collect them myself and feature them on the blog as well!

And so she did. And she clapped and danced around while sharing the news with her enchanted coworkers and other NEW PEOPLE staff, as they browsed through the adorable new products in the store.

Everyone was delighted and lived happier more than ever after.

The End.

@};-~ Shellee ~

COUNTDOWN TO THE HOLIDAYS: PUCHIE BABIE

2010-11-12T13:05:00.000-08:00

Puchie Babie is back for the holiday season, and cuter than ever! The first year that I was living in Japan I decided not to go home for the holidays. Part of me worried that I wouldn't enjoy the coming Christmas season since it might be a little lonely and unfamiliar. I was wrong! That year the cuteness factor of the Japanese Christmas knocked me over, and I was starry eyed for all of the cute characters and mind blowing original concepts centered around the season.

Even traditional Christmas goods were given an awesome new twist; so Puchie Babie makes me a little nostalgic for those days when Christmas was an adventure in design and glamor mixed into the traditional ideals! I'm "adopting" a little green Christmas Puchie for my tree this year. Maybe a pink one, too (just for good measure!).

Last year when we got the Christmas Puchies I couldn't believe that they had somehow managed to make it's already sugary sweet deer character even more adorable. The small chain makes this little character perfect for hanging on the tree or as a personal charm! Hat and Christmas cape are both removable.

This year we have a limited number of Christmas Puchie Babie in our Puchie stable, so get them while you can!

(^_ー)／〜☆

-Audri

HAZARD CAT

2010-11-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

Just a random segue here, but I thought this was too cute. The hazards of having a cat and long, stringy decorative stuff = cuteness! My friend and I were decorating his apartment recently when his cat decided the string lights we bought belonged to him instead of us. Oh kitties, how I love you so! I just had to share this cute picture!

Cat + Christmas Lights = Christmas Cat

Hehehe,
Audri

COUNTDOWN TO THE HOLIDAYS: MASKING TAPE

2010-11-07T14:16:00.000-08:00

When I was a younger version of myself I loved Christmas time, naturally, but as an adult there's a whole new type of excitement that I get from this season. The change to Autumn and the transition to the cold Winter months. It all just seems so romantic and rich and exquisite.

Now that the high of Halloween has passed we're all making our transformation into Christmas Elves (while drooling over the thought of the upcoming thanksgiving dinners!) and I can't think of a time of year when I feel more optimistic and excited than this one. I just love everything about Christmas! Wrapping gifts, baking, decorating, meeting friends - It's all just so much fun!

I get very crafty around this time of the year and that's why, after embarking on a new DIY project at home (more on that in a future blog post near you!) I nearly squealed with joy at seeing one of our new holiday products arrive in the store. I am smitten with the Holiday Masking Tape from MARK'S. Who wouldn't be?! It's clever, colorful, and there's no limit to the kind of projects you could use it for!

(Click Image To Englarge)

I've already picked a few up for myself; you should grab some for yourself too while we've still got them in stock!

Keep an eye out for some of our upcoming DIY entries! If you've got a DIY project that you've done with something from our store and you want to share with us we'd love to have it on our blog! Send it to us at info@newpeoplestore.com with a little about yourself and your project!

Cheers,
Audri

SECRET PHRASE FOR NOVEMBER!

2010-11-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

That's right! We have another secret phrase to share with you, so that you may enjoy some more great savings leading up to the busiest holiday season of the year!

This month's secret phrase is Leap before you look. Say this at the register, and get 15% off of your total purchase. This phrase is valid for the entire month of November!

HALLOWEEN AT NEW PEOPLE

2010-10-31T19:05:00.000-07:00

We had an eventful Halloween here at NEW PEOPLE, and we thought you might like to share in our holiday shenanigans! Here are a few photos of the great people that make NEW PEOPLE :D

In The Store:

Living it up in the store! Watch out for Hannah, our gypsy thief (she steals candy!)

At The Cafe:

Sabrina and Alex scare up some tasty cofee!

On the 2nd Floor:

The cutest honey-bee ever from Koko (By Revolver), and our newest Lolita darling at Baby The Stars Shine Bright!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2010-10-31T15:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween, everybody! It's my favorite time of the year, and I'm just buzzing with excitement!

Are you having a spooky day? I'm curious to know what everyone was for halloween, so if you've got pictures of your costumes send them in! We'd love to see what all the New People out there are dressed up as this year. It's good scary fun!

I hope your halloween is creepy and crawly!
-Audri

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL SALE AT NEW PEOPLE THE STORE!

2010-10-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween, folks!!!

We are celebrating Halloween with a special sale here at NEW PEOPLE the Store! Lots of cute, Gothic, Lolita, and Monster-themed merchandise are 10% OFF from 10/23 to 10/31!!! Even some postcards and all Glitterlimes are on sale! And if you show up at our store wearing a costume on these dates, you will also get an additional 10% OFF on your total purchase!

POETRY CONTEST: WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

2010-10-17T17:35:00.000-07:00

Hello hello, to all of you New People out there!

After sitting on the edge of our seats (well, my seat. Shellee didn't get a seat! Mwahaha!) we've picked out a winner for our New People Poetry Contest! As promised we're announcing the winner and the winning poem right here today! As well, our contest winner will be receiving a $50 Gift Certificate to NEW PEOPLE The Store. Woohoo!!!

Our winning poem comes to us from Matthew R., you rock, Matthew! Without further ado here's the poem that just roped Matthew a $50 gift card:

Life is designed
Aesthetic algorithms
Wanting new
People look in levels
Lovely function
Finding form
Designs for life

We loved hearing from all of you who participated and we encourage you to enter all of our contests! Keep an eye out for our next blog contest! We announce all new contests on the side bar on the left of the blog along with other cool secrets and specials!

A great big thank you to Matthew!

xoxox,
Audri

THE SWEETEST DAYS ARE THIS WEEKEND!

2010-10-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
This weekend we're celebrating our Sweetest Days Sale (10/16~10/17). If you come in this Saturday or Sunday you'll be able to enjoy our 15% sale on our Sweets candles, Cake Towels, and other select items. How sweet it is!

Come join us and satisfy your sweet tooth!!

A WEBSTORE EXCLUSIVE! 3 DVDS FOR AN AMAZING BUNDLE PRICE!

2010-10-12T17:11:00.000-07:00

You can now get your three favorite movies Honey and Clover, Love.Com the Movie, and NANA for the amazing bundle price of $35 through the ONLINE STORE! It's such an awesome deal considering each DVD costs $24.92: that's savings of more than 50%!!! The bundle also comes with 3 mini-posters---one for each movie!

Don't wait too long: this promotion is only available until October 31st. So grab your own set now!

SPUTNIK WEEKEND SALE!!!

2010-10-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

Hello Earthlings!

We've got a cool sale planned for you this weekend only,
10/09 to 10/10, so stop by the store and check it out!
Most of our SPACE, AIRCRAFT, AND ROBOT-THEMED MERCHANDISE are 20% OFF!!!
*Discount does not apply to clearance items.

My pick of the week:
DULTON STAINLESS COCKTAIL SHAKER

Now you can mix your favorite cocktails in style! This Cocktail Shaker by Dulton is shaped like a rocket and truly adds a retro feel to any kitchen. Show it off to your friends and family while you amaze them with your cocktail-making skills!
Isn't it cool? =)

- Shellee

SPECIAL PROMOTIONS FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER!

2010-10-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

This month, we want to show how much we appreciate readers like you, so we are offering you 15% OFF of your total purchase for the whole month of October!!! To take advantage of this special discount, simply say the Secret Phrase "PUSH ALL BUTTONS" at the register to let us know that you are one of our amazing online readers!
Of course, we also have our Weekend Promotions. Check out our blog weekly to see what items will be on sale!
This weekend only, 10/02 to 10/03/10, we are holding a Universal Children's Weekend Sale in the store, and all children-themed merchandise are on sale for 20% OFF! (Non-Life Zoo items and all clearance items are excluded.)

Happy Shopping! =)

Shellee

BOTANIC GIFTS TERRARIUMS WILL BE HERE TOMORROW!

2010-09-30T11:48:00.000-07:00

Hooray!!! You won't have to wait until Saturday to grab a hold of one of these wonderful terrariums! The designer will be coming in tomorrow instead, October 1, around 5 pm, and she will be bringing in a few more in various shapes and sizes!
If you need to get your terrarium that you have purchased from us or Tokyo Creators Garden in the past replanted, you can also get that done tomorrow! Please call or email us by 8 pm today to let us know that you will be coming in!

See you then!

Shellee

BOTANIC GIFTS DELAYED

2010-09-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

Our sincere apologies to everyone! We have just heard that the designer of the Botanic Gifts terrariums will not be able to make it this Saturday, and she is postponing her trip to our store next week, October 2nd. If you want to get your terrarium that you have purchased from us replanted or if you want to check out the new shipment that will be coming in, please wait until next Saturday.

Once again, we apologize for this delay. Call or e-mail us if you have any questions. Thank you!

-Shellee

BOTANIC GIFTS ARRIVE TOMORROW

2010-09-24T18:58:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to all you regular Botanic Gift customers and those of you who might not know about them! Tomorrow's a big day at NEW PEOPLE The Store; we're getting a fresh new batch of terrariums! Yippeeee! I like to dabble in gardening, so I really do adore all of the terrariums we get in from Botanic Gifts. Tomorrow we're getting in a whole new shipment, freshly planted and ready to be taken home and loved, so be sure to get one while we have them!

Haven't heard about our Botanic Gifts Terrariums before? Think portable garden encased in some of the some of the most delicate looking and interesting shaped vessels you can imagine. They make great gifts, they're resilient and easy to care for, and best of all they're beautiful.

If you're worried that your terrarium might die just after you've bought it, you can put your mind at ease knowing that there is a free replant for all of our customers in the case that your terrarium doesn't make it just after you've purchased it. The artist comes into our shop once a month and we'll notify you before her next visit so you can book a replanting if you need it!

Come in and take a peek! You'll feel like you're walking through your own private garden; they really are a whole little world inside their little glass homes!

We hope to see you here!

-Audri

COMIC BOOK DAY 9/25 & 9/26

2010-09-23T11:33:00.000-07:00

In honor of September 25th being National Comic Book Day - this weekend, 9/25 & 9/26, is going to be "Comic Book Day" at NEW PEOPLE, too! I don't want to speak for Shellee, but... nobody is more excited than I am for Comic Book Day! I'm a comic book junkie through and through, and even though I've been too wrapped up in school and work to really keep up on my favorite titles, I still go nuts over comics. It's like they say: You can take the girl out of the comic book, but you can't take the comic book out of the girl!

My personal recommendation for Comic Book Day is Spirited Away from Studio Ghibli. I've always had a hard time getting into anime (even though there's some really good anime out there, I know), but for me it was love at first sight with all things Miyazaki! My favorite of his works being Spirited Away; the whimsical and dark world draws you in and carries you away on one unforgettable journey. This movie is a staple for all people who are still a kid at heart, and that makes it my top pick for the upcoming Comic Book Day!

On 9/25 (Sat) and 9/26 (Sun) only you'll get 20% OFF of all Comic Books, Manga, Miyazaki DVDs, and other Anime videos we have in our store! If you're not a comic book fan yourself, well you can still join us for awesome discounts; just be sure to say our secret phrase "Splash Around" at the register between 9/25 (Saturday) and 9/30 (Thursday) to receive a 15% discount on your purchase!

Shellee and I are looking forward to seeing you!

Hugs & Chomps,
Audri

A J-POP EXTRAVAGANZA!

2010-09-21T18:11:00.000-07:00

What a weekend!!! The J-Pop festivities have now come and gone, and an incredibly exciting and spectacular time was had by all! From a Pocky-eating contest, to an avant-garde Japanese tea ceremony, ice cream parties, and concerts, movie screenings, and fashion shows, to an autograph-signing session, Bazaar Bizarre, and lots of yummy food, there was something to keep everyone who came very entertained and wanting more. Of course, we are very grateful to everyone who came and participated in this year's J-Pop Summit Festival, and we hope that all of you would come back to join us again next year!

Audri and I found ourselves extremely busy in the store that weekend, and we weren't able to check out most of the festivities as we would have liked [insert sad face here]. But it's not all bad: we were able to meet some really amazing people, and we found ourselves sharing the excitement and having a great time along with everyone else!

Here are some highlights from this year's J-Pop Summit event:

Lolitas in line to get into the second floor and customers waiting to purchase our Limited Edition NEW PEOPLE x Gloomy Bear shirts on Saturday, 09/18. The line was so long, it stretched all the way from the second floor to the outside of the building!

Limited Edition NEW PEOPLE x Gloomy Bear tee - the first 50 customers who purchased this tee got a voucher to the autograph session with Gloomy Bear creator Mori Chack at 2 pm on Saturday, 09/18.

Gloomy Bear artist Mori Chack signing autographs in front of NEW PEOPLE the Store on Saturday, 09/18.

A very ecstatic customer came dressed as a Gloomy Bear! We love it!

Oh look! It's me and my partner-in-crime Audri with Mori Chack! We were so happy to get this rare photo-op with the creator of one of our favorite characters of all time, Gloomy!

Tea ceremony with the "Grateful Red" artist Ken Hamazaki. Visitors who came during J-Pop weekend got a chance to drink tea prepared by The Red Man himself.

Osaka-based artist Ken Hamazaki's "Grateful Red" is on exhibit at NEW PEOPLE's Superfrog Gallery from September 17th to October 24th. The exhibit combines his gratitude and respect for the color RED as well as to the band "Grateful Dead".

The artist's merchandise is also available for purchase at NEW PEOPLE the Store.

So kawaii! The girls of 6% DokiDoki came back for the Summit dressed in super cute outfits! In addition to their VIP event on Wednesday and the fashion show on Saturday, they held a fashion walk along Post street on Sunday, 09/19.

Harajuku shop-girls Yuka and Vani pose for the camera.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable week, and we hope that you had tons of fun! Please feel free to share your J-Pop experiences with us!

Kisu-Kisu!

Shellee

I CAN'T WAIT FOR J-POP!!!

2010-09-17T14:49:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Audri here just throwing a quick shout out to say that Shellee and I hope we see you here tomorrow! Since it's the J-Pop festival we have so many fantastic things going on that we can promise you don't want to miss it!

One event I'm really excited about is SOULIT performing live on the stage at the Peace Plaza! Why am I so excited about this performance? Well, besides the fact that they are one of the most smoothest sounds you'll ever hear through your speakers, they're personal friends of mine! I met Achi (Vocals/keys) and Atsushi (guitar) when they were doing a street performance late one night in Ikebukuro and we've been friends ever since! So I can't even properly express how excited I am to see them here in San Francisco! Be sure not to miss this performance! They'll have you swinging and swaying from beginning to end!

Another performance I also can't push enough is Hopie Spitshard live on stage at the Peace Plaza as well. Hopie's another musician who is near and dear to my heart, though we've never been formally introduced. She was one of the first performances I saw when I moved to this city and I loved her music so much I bought her album before her set was even finished! She takes rap to a new level; her lyrics are intelligent, witty, and absolutely one of a kind! Did I mention she's completely adorable?

I hope I see you all there! This is going to be awesome!

For more information on our scheduled events for 9/18 check out our program page on our website!

XOXOX

Audri

TOKYOSCOPE: BAD GIRLS & WILD WOMEN

2010-09-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

Last night I finally attended my first TOKYOSCOPE TALK DELUXE by Patrick Macias. This one was Volume 6: Bad Girls & Wild Women and it was every bit as provocative as it sounds! I was so excited to finally get to see one of these talks, because they've been getting great reviews.

Each talk opens up the attendees to a different subculture within the Japanese culture that we might otherwise have lived our lives never knowing about, and trust me... you want to know some of these gritty details!

After a fantastic lecture by Patrick Macias that had the whole audience alternately rolling in the aisles with laughter and picking our jaws up off the floor in disbelief, we took a break to get some food, shochu, and chatter amongst ourselves before sitting down to... how can I even do it justice? One of the most bizarre, AWESOME, and psychedelic films from the 60's I've ever seen involving a women's prison, love, and vigilante justice: Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion!

I very highly and enthusiastically recommend Patrick Macias's Tokyoscope talks to everyone with an interest in Japanese culture, strange stories, and odd facts. Next talk's theme is rumored to be one that's near and dear to everyone's heart: NINJAS!

Maybe I'll see you there next time? I sure hope you come see it; I promise you won't be disappointed! Let's have some curry, shochu and NINJAS! Yum!

XOXOX!!
Audri

NEW PEOPLE THE STORE'S VERY FIRST CONTEST!

2010-09-13T19:20:00.000-07:00

That's right! A CONTEST! We want you readers to be able to participate in and really enjoy our blog as much as we do, so we've designed a contest just for you!

Our very first contest is centered on poetry. Write a poem on what you think NEW PEOPLE is all about, and we will reward the best one with a $50 GIFT CARD! The deadline for submission is October 15, 2010, and the winner will be announced and featured on our blog on October 17, 2010.
For more information and the guidelines for submission, please refer to the CONTESTS section on the left-hand column of this page.

J-POP WEEK IS HERE!

2010-09-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

The long awaited J-Pop Summit is here! And in celebration of this awesome week, we at NEW PEOPLE the Store have come up with more deals to make it even more enjoyable for all of you!

GLOOMY BEAR artist Mori Chack will be signing autographs in the store on Saturday, September 18th at 2 pm! The first 50 customers who purchase a NEW PEOPLE x Gloomy Limited Edition T-Shirt ($30) will get a pass to this special autograph session!

SELECT ITEMS in the store will be on sale for UP TO 50% OFF throughout the entire J-POP week (September 13 to 19, Monday to Sunday)! Isn't that just great? Stop by to take advantage of these sweet discounts!

And of course, we haven't forgotten you, our dear readers! To make this week even more special, we will be offering you an EXTRA 20% OFF OF YOUR TOTAL PURCHASE!!! Yes, you read that right: an additional 20% OFF! Say this week's secret phrase "STARE AT THE SUN" at the register to let us know that you are one of our amazing online readers! (This secret phrase is valid for purchases made in-store from September 13 to 19, Monday to Sunday).

Thank you, and we hope you will enjoy this year's J-Pop Summit Festival!

SHELLEE'S TOP PICK OF THE WEEK!

2010-09-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

It's Crafts Weekend here at NEW PEOPLE the Store! And before I tell you about our amazing promotions for this weekend, let me talk about this one product that will help you add a little creativity to your home!

LOTTA'S PRINTING STUDIO is a handy little kit that will teach you how to create designs on paper, fabrics, and more! Impress your friends and family with stencil prints on your walls! I picked up this kit as a gift for my mom a couple of months ago, and when I visited her house last week, she proudly showed me her artistic creation on her kitchen walls! She says this printing studio is so easy to use, and it already comes with all the tools you will need to make your own little masterpiece (2 carving knives, 2 printing sponges, 6 stencils drawn by Lotta Jansdotter, and a 48-page booklet with photos and instructions on how to do stencil printing, potato carving and printing, rubber stamping, etc.).

And good news is: this item is on sale for 20% off this weekend!

CRAFTS WEEKEND SALE @ NEW PEOPLE the Store: Get 20% OFF on all regular-priced craft-related merchandise this weekend only (September 11 to 12, Saturday to Sunday)!

And for you, our valued readers, we will be giving you an extra 10% discount on your total purchase in-store this weekend! Just say "COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES" at the register to let us know that you have been reading our blog!

Thanks much!

♥,

Shellee

GLOOMY BEAR CREATOR MORI CHACK COMES TO VISIT!

2010-09-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, big news! Wait, not just big. REALLY BIG! On Saturday, September 18th, Mori Chack, creator of the popular GLOOMY BEAR, will be signing in a special autograph session starting at 2:00 pm in NEW PEOPLE The Store!

Join us for the J-POP SUMMIT and the 10th anniversary of Gloomy Bear - the first 50 people who purchase a NEW PEOPLE x Gloomy Limited Edition T-Shirts ($30) at NEW PEOPLE The Store will get a pass for the autograph session of Mori Chack on September 18th! Isn't that awesome?! We sure think it is!

NEW PEOPLE x Gloomy Limited Edition T-Shirts will be available for purchase on 9/18/2010 at regular store hours (11:00am-8:00pm). Don't miss out! We hope to see you here (in your brand new Mori Chack x NEW PEOPLE T-shirt!).

*We can not reserve Limited Edition NEW PEOPLE x Gloomy Bear t-shirts ahead of time.

Thanks, Forest Friends!

2010-09-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

We (Shellee & Audri) just wanted to thank all of you who joined us for the "Forest Friends Day" Sale this past labor day weekend! We had fun and we saw a lot of you taking home your own "Forest Friend", which was really great! Stay tuned for more info about our next sale (Coming up this weekend!). We promise, you're not going to be disappointed!

Let us know what you thought about our sale if you have a moment. We love to get feedback from all of you, it helps us think up more cool stuff that's just for you here at NEW PEOPLE The Store!

♥,
Shellee & Audri

The Nonlife Zoo

2010-09-05T00:14:00.000-07:00

Hey all, Audri here! For an art major I don't spend as much time as I'd like to up in our art gallery (because I'm usually busy having a good time in the main store with Shellee!), but our most recent exhibit has me going back again and again whenever I find a free moment. It's my favorite exhibit so far, so I really wanted to share it with all of you!

It's called "The Nonlife Zoo" and as you may have guessed from the title the subject of the installment is ANIMALS.

When I first walked into the gallery I was taken aback. The Nonlife Zoo show is startling, stark, profound and for lack of a better word... sad. It's a visual commentary on the impact we have on the earth, and the price our animal companions are paying for it. The Nonlife Zoo was made with the intention of promoting awareness, and it does just that with unique and shocking symbolism.

I recommend this exhibit to anyone and everyone! It's amazing, yet simple and leaves you feeling thoughtful and inspired as you walk away. Plus, it doesn't hurt that some of the most memorable characters shown in the exhibit can go home with you for an affordable price, AND a portion of all sales are donated to wildlife conservation groups!

My Nonlife Zoo Purchase: The Lion Keychain!

Come to the NEW PEOPLE Building and take a walk through the Superfrog Gallery! Admission is absolutely free!

CUSTOMER OF THE WEEK: KIERAN & HIS CRAYONS

2010-09-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

How exciting! Our very first customer profile! Our customer of the week is little Kieran, and here to introduce him is his lovely momma; Alana! I'll let her do the rest of the talking from here on out.

"Nice to meet everyone! This is Kieran, my son, and I'm Alana, writing to you from Toronto, Canada. For Kieran's first birthday he got his very own set of Baby Colors 6 all the way from NEW PEOPLE The Store in San Francisco, and he just loves them!

Kieran loves to, of course, color with his crayons, but he especially loves that he can stack them together and that they easily become pretty cool looking hats for his action figures, too! Kids are so creative and funny! Right now Kieran spends his time schmoozing it up in pre-school and hanging around with mommy, daddy and our big cat 'Pumpkin' at home.

Lately I (Alana) have been really into painting a series of cats dressed up in superhero costumes. You can check them out at Alana McCarthy Art on Facebook. With two artistic parents these crayons may be the first step towards Kieran's creative future!

Thanks for the cool crayons, New People!"