ALKEMI store is an independent concept store in Nunhead and Forest Hill. We work hard to provide 'Beautiful Objects for Everyday Life' from Korea, Japan and beyond that are made with the utmost care and artisanship. We also work with various talented local makers to provide an opportunity for them to start and grow their businesses.
Niwaki
Niwaki means garden tree. Not very exciting, but it implies far more than that. Japanese gardens are landscapes, microcosms of nature, and the trees are all shaped to fit into those landscapes - there’s an awful lot of artistry and cultural baggage in there too. So, the name. Hard to pronounce (ni-whacky) and tricky to remember, but we like it because of its implications.
ALKEMI store Nunhead opened its doors in 2017 and ALKEMI store Forest Hill opened in April 2021. Located in leafy areas in South East London, Nunhead and Forest Hill are very friendly neighbourhoods with a strong sense of local community, which are perfect for our independent stores to nestle.
Diarge
DIARGE is a Tokyo based lifestyle brand of base metal men's portable goods, mainly brass and stainless steel founded by Shimizu Hirofumi
in 2012. As a skilled shoe maker himself, he was fascinated by the traditional metal work technique, ‘embossment’ and started making Chasing Shoehorns then expanded the ranged into various metal and leather products.