The Hands Shibuya store, which opened in 1978, will close on 15 November. As it brings 48 years of history to an end, large-format stores for making things are increasingly disappearing from the city.
The Hands Shibuya store will close on 15 November, 48 years after opening in 1978. The store was known for displaying approximately 100,000 types of products across 24 floors, providing a place where visitors could handle actual products while being inspired to create.
In recent years, Osaka's Umeda Loft has significantly downsized its sales floor and is scheduled to move in 2025 to a department store occupying 1 floor. The main Okadaya store in Shinjuku is also expected to consolidate its sales floors in a new building from the same year onward. Handicraft chains, too, have tended to significantly reduce their number of stores.
These developments have prompted debate over the value of large-format stores as places to search for materials and generate ideas. Some believe that visitors will lose opportunities to choose materials with advice from store staff and will find it more difficult to gain inspiration for creating.
As consolidation of large-format stores advances, changes in the city's commercial spaces could affect opportunities to encounter unfamiliar hobbies and the development of handmade culture itself.