5 Questions & Answers with the Founder
Happy New Year everyone! We are officially into a brand-new year and I thought this would be a perfect moment to provide a brief introduction to myself and conduct a quick Q&A session.
WHAT IS YOUR NAME AND HOW IS IT PRONOUNCED?
My name is Eiko and I am the Founder and Creative Director of House of Serendipity CA. My name is a Japanese one and it is pronounced “A-Ko”.
WHAT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST LESSONS THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED SINCE YOU STARTED YOUR COMPANY?
One of the lessons that I have learned is that we are all on a different journey. As tempting as it might be, it’s important to not compare yourself too much to other people. For instance, some businesses might experience swift growth and rapid success right from the very beginning while other organizations will go through a much slower growth process. Also, as they often say, do not compare your beginning part of the journey to another person’s middle part of the journey.
WHAT WAS YOUR EARLIEST CAREER AMBITION OR FIRST DREAM CAREER ?
My first dream career was to become a sports journalist. Obviously, I have deviated quite extensively from that path, but I used to be quite the sports fanatic and I loved reading and memorizing all those sports reports and statistics.
IN TERMS OF PAPER AND STATIONERY, DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE OR GO-TO PLACE TO BUY PAPER AND STATIONERY PRODUCTS?
One of my favorite paper and stationery stores of all time is Kate’s Paperie, an exquisite and upscale paper store that was in New York City. Unfortunately, it permanently closed its doors a few years ago. However, they offered an extensive collection of beautiful gift-wrapping paper, ribbons, greeting cards, paper goods, gifts as well as stunning custom stationery and invitations. This sophisticated stationery store enjoyed such a reputation for excellence that they often had customers who traveled from abroad, such as from South America, who came to their New York City store to survey and purchase their products.
WHICH ICE CREAM FLAVOR DO YOU PREFER, CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?
Neither! I prefer pistachio ice cream. I must say that the French people have made some of the best pistachio ice cream that I have ever tasted which would explain my affection for this usually lime green colored confection.
Eiko