Pinkys in Totoroland

Pinkys in Totoroland, originally uploaded by esmereldes.

Let's see how long I can stick to my "one post per day, or close to it" plan. This is an old photo too, but one I meant to post here for sure. I got this supercute bank at a new store called Kofuku in Harvard Square. It is located near the Garage Mall, where Planet Aid used to be, if you are familiar with the area at all. It's sort of underneath radio shack and that random vitamin store. It's an odd little store in that you can't really see it from street level, so it's easy to overlook. And rather than using the whole space that Planet Aid did, it actually uses only 1/3 of it. Which is strange, because it is already a small store to begin with! It shares space with a micro-sized boutique clothing store (expensive!) and a small travel agency. I know rent in Harvard is probably insanely expensive, but the teeny tiny store strategy is interesting anyway. It's like the same trend as cramming 4 people into a 3-bedroom apartment by making the dining room into a bedroom. Yeah, it doesn't have a closet... or doors... but, you know, you can sleep there so it's a bedroom. Gotta love Boston.

I hope that the splitting the rent strategy helps them out tho, because they have some cute stuff in there. They seem to be doing the imported little gifty items, but much cheaper than I usually see them. This bank probably would normally cost $30, but it was only half that! Plus they threw in a cool reuseable tote bag and a free gift (which was a wallet). If you are around the area, you should go look for the store! They also had things like Studio Ghibli playing cards, Hello Kitty cell phone charms, a display case for mini figures (capsule toy/gashapon size figures), random toothbrush holders, towels folded to look like cakes, that sort of thing. Similar to a place like Black Ink (also in Harvard Sq.), actually, but cheaper.

Black Ink itself used to be a bit more like Kofuku, back before it moved. It used to be out closer to Inman Sq. It used to share space with the Museum of Useful Things. I think both those stores were more fun in the more obscure location, but it's probably easier for them to be somewhere more populated (unless the rent is killing them. Black Ink always looks busy, but I worry about Museum of Useful Things...)

I bought this bank because I wanted a bank (I usually throw all my change in a bowl, which is ugly), but I can't seem to bear to use it now. Money is dirty! I don't want to get my cute bank dirty! XD
Looks adorable tho just hanging out in my room, so it's ok. ~.^