2016 to 2026 : our Ten Year Journey

Our journey started in this way : standing nervously in front of Designphil (Traveler’s Company) HQ in Ebisu on a crisp November morning, with absolutely no idea of what would really happen once we kicked off the Nomado Store project.

Between 2016 and 2021, Nomado Store evolved from a small passion project into one of Europe's leading specialists in Japanese stationery and leather goods. 

The early years were challenging, but a strong focus on customer relationships, brand selection, and long-term thinking allowed us to grow steadily and earn a loyal customer base that has remained at the heart of our business.

From 2018 onwards, we slowly shifted our focus to exclusive collaborations. Partnerships with brands including The Superior Labor, .Urukust and Nanala Design produced some of our most-loved products. Looking back, we’d describe the first five years as an intense journey of creativity, perseverance and constant learning - no regrets whatsoever!

Five more years have passed…

Since our fifth anniversary, events have unfolded at the speed of a Japanese bullet train. Just when we thought that we had a clear view of what lay ahead, the following years brought even more surprises, opportunities and lessons.

We now stock several thousand items and over 100 brands.

Opening our own brick and mortar store in 2022, No108 was a game-changer for us in the most important ways.

We’ve always focused strongly on customer relationships and communication within the limits imposed on us by distance. We now had the privilege of meeting many of you face to face, customers even travelling from abroad to visit the store. These exchanges were enriching for all concerned.

The first years of No108 also led us to deepen our knowledge and selection of fine Japanese stationery items (especially notebooks) and hard to find items such as Japanese art and calligraphy supplies.

Simultaneously, we set up our own letterpress printing studio (2024) and slowly started building up a leather goods customisation offering.

“Community” is a much overused and abused word in our profession, but one has undeniably grown organically around Nomado Store. Through regular email, in-store events (e.g. Traveler's Notebook Meet-ups), friendships formed through the shop, customers visiting from around the world and collaborations with artists and makers (Momo, Kappa Do, Mitchell-Finch, Itsuko Naka and many others).

Reflecting on how we could continue to expand our business in 2021, became a full-blown 5 year project that ended up translating some of our fondest dreams into reality : the launch of Ateliers Phileas. This is probably our biggest milestone of these past five years.

We wouldn’t have started Nomado Store if we hadn’t been interested in leather goods and stationery and years of handling thousands of leather goods and co-developing products shaped our ideas and led us into a new direction. Ateliers Phileas is a very personal representation of our values, tastes and feelings. The brand isn’t meant to replace our existing range or Nomado Store itself, it is a parallel project that completes us as a company.

Charles designs all of the products and packaging, sometimes with input from associates in Japan. The work involved is considerable : product design, prototyping, sourcing the right materials, working with craftsmen in Japan, India and Italy, storage and much more!

As a brand, Ateliers Phileas is inspired by late 19th/early 20th century imagery, Jules Verne and the golden years of French luxury luggage brands. No compromises are made on quality and finish. One of our top three brands since the launch in October 2021, we think that the next 5 years will be fun, we’ve got some amazing AP projects in the pipeline!

Talking of projects and new products, we are currently working on a new product/service offering that has been in the pipeline for years and that should be coming to fruition soon. Think : customising, very special leathers and more!

We intend to celebrate this Anniversary over the next year and will be releasing a series of special items to mark the occasion.

Thank you for sharing our passion these past ten years! We hope to spend the next ten years discovering new brands and working on new projects, travelling to Japan and being your special connection with the Land of the Rising Sun.

Charles, Nomad_ist & Aline