Marketer. small business owner. stationery lover.
I currently run an eCommerce store that sells stationery from Asia specifically Taiwan, Japan, Korean and China. I want to bring all the cute Taiwanese stationery to the US and introduce different Taiwanese artists to our customers. Taiwan has so many cute stationery but they are not as widely known as Japanese ones because they are usually not sold outside Taiwanese local stores.
Growing up in Taiwan, cute stationery like stickers, notebooks, and pens were easily accessible and it was common for us to have stationery with cute cartoon characters. When I moved to the US for school, I brought my cute Taiwanese stationery with me and my classmates would always comment on the cute stickers, notebooks, and pens I have. So I started giving them to classmates or helping them buy what they can’t find in the US. It was a great way to make new friends and share a bit of Taiwan with others.
When I entered the workforce, I didn’t need as much stationery and almost forgot how much I loved all the cute things I had in school. I was searching for cards to write to a nonprofit group one day and saw people selling cute Asian stationery on Etsy but not a lot of Taiwanese ones, so I asked my sister to start selling them with me. We quickly turned it into an online store and I have been running it since.
We would like to continue to bring more and more cute things from Taiwan and also support more indie artists in Taiwan! Taiwan has so many cute and creative products and more people should know about them.
How does being Taiwanese/Taiwanese American and/or community ally play a role in your life?
Growing up in Taiwan, I learned to work hard. Even though Taiwan is a small island on the world map, the Taiwanese people have always worked hard to make Taiwan shine in the world. People around me are always working hard to increase their standard of living and create a more comfortable life. It has taught me to keep working towards what I want and hard work will pay for itself.
If you could teach future generations 1 thing about being Taiwanese/Taiwanese American or Taiwan, what would it be?
Taiwan might not be known for its art and design, but there are a lot of new and coming artists, illustrators, and designers who have amazing work. Everyone has their unique style and what is special about art in Taiwan is many of them combine Taiwan culture with elements of Western styles to create unique and beautiful work.
One of the places you can learn about these indie designers and artists is on Pinkoi.com where they sell their products and artwork.
What does the future of Taiwanese America look like to you?
The future of Taiwanese America is a world with more Taiwanese products on the shelves in mass convenience stores. Not just products that are made in Taiwan, but also features brands from Taiwan. We are already seeing more Taiwanese food items at Costco, a few well-known Taiwanese fashion designers. I hope to continue bringing more Taiwanese stationery, illustrators, and makers to the US!
Favorite memory of Taiwan/Taiwanese America?
I love browsing the books, magazines, and stationery collections at Eslite. Walking through rows and rows of books, looking at walls of cute stationery items, and shopping at the unique boutique stores inside the Eslite mall has always been my favorite part of visiting Taiwan.
Every item in the store is carefully curated to fit on the shelf plus the relaxing atmosphere of people reading, I can spend the whole day there.
Favorite Taiwanese food?
Super authentic and affordable boba milk tea everywhere!
Connect with Koyun via Sticky Rice Sisters on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube! Koyun is currently working on growing my online stationery store Sticky Rice Sisters! She’d love to introduce more Taiwanese illustrators and bring more cute things to the US, and if that sounds like you, please reach out via email!
Check out her feature on TaiwaneseAmerican.Org’s Instagram and Facebook!
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