It's the end of the year which marks six months since we started selling furoshiki online!
The idea of Keiko Furoshiki came about in late 2022 and began when Andrea approached Tyler, then Keiko, about creating a sustainable, Japanese-inspired brand of reusable gift wrapping.
By January, Keiko had designed several prints, in February, we had our logo and packaging design, in March we placed our first order from our manufacturer, and in April, we were legally registered as an LLC as Keiko Furoshiki. In June, Tyler and Andrea got married and actually made their first sale the morning of their wedding. And that's how Keiko Furoshiki was born.
Our story started with a shared passion for sustainability and to create a vehicle to share Keiko's heritage and artwork with the world. By making bold and bright furoshiki, we believed that this centuries-old practice could be reimagined for modern times, offering an eco-friendly alternative to disposable wrapping paper while infusing each gift with beauty and tradition.
In the whirlwind of the past six months, we're so grateful for the love and support of our friends and family — our first customers and then all the new friends we've made along the way. You're our champions online and the reason we can keep growing.
Here are some of the highlights of the past 6 months at Keiko Furoshiki:
Helping Tatcha Teach Customers About Furoshiki
Shortly after launching Keiko Furoshiki, we were approached by leading cosmetic brand Tatcha to create a series of video tutorials featuring their Holiday gift set furoshiki.
Launching Wholesale
Our goal is to be in as many gift shops and specialty grocers as possible in 2024. Setting up our wholesale pricing, reducing our costs for us and our customers, shortening time to delivery, and offering more shipping options was all part of making the experience better for our customers and retail partners. We're also available on Bulletin for wholesale orders.
Press Coverage
We were so thrilled to get mentions on MarthaStewart.com, an interview on CanvasRebel.com, and a great feature on TheSpruce.com. We were also featured on Instagram's @shop profile, where they shared our story and a wrapping tutorial. While this was a paid partnership, we were so excited to see our furoshiki in the hands of Natasha from Effective Spaces and are so grateful she was willing to work with us, a small and new brand.
25 Days of Wrapping
We had done wrapping tutorials before but nothing quite like one video a day for 25 days in December! Completing the 25 Days of Wrapping challenge on Instagram and seeing how much you all enjoyed it. Watch it on our Instagram profile or on YouTube.
An Encouraging First Holiday Season
We didn't know what to expect for our first year, particularly our first Holiday season. We made some mistakes and learned a lot about the steps and planning required for the seasonality of the gift wrapping business. But overall, we're in great shape going into 2024. We're closing out the year with a 200% month-over-month traffic growth, made five figures in revenue, and have lots of fresh ideas for 2024.
January might be a little more quiet as we regroup and plan our next collection and other projects, but we will have lots of announcements to share with you soon enough!
Happy New Year,
Keiko, Andrea, and Tyler
