"It's best when customers come to play with canned beer." TRUCK & KINGS store manager Shintaro Minano
"The best time is when a customer comes to play with a can of beer."
An interview project "Good Anbee Adults" that focuses on people who enjoy their daily lives on work days and holidays and live a "good Anbe" lifestyle.
The first memorable event is Shintaro Minano, the manager of " TRUCK & KINGS ", a select shop in Minamihorie, Osaka, which handles Aloha from Eanbe.
"TRUCK & KINGS" is a select shop that handles popular brands such as WACKO MARIA, BEDWIN, and COOTIE, and has gained tremendous support from fashionistas.
* Kyoto "CASINO CLUB", which also handles Eanbe, is an affiliated store.
Shintaro always greets me with a can of beer with a smile. When all the Eanbe staff came to the store for the first time, they were so friendly that I could forget the tension.
We will talk about what "good anbe" is for Shintaro on the bench at the storefront, which can be said to be a landmark of the store, while having a beer.
-First of all, I would like to ask you how you decided to work at "TRUCK & KINGS". Are you from Osaka?
I'm from Kagawa prefecture and came to Osaka when I was 18 years old. Before I worked at Trakin, I was working on garbage collection, but I've always wanted to work on clothes. So I decided to quit the collection job and work at this store where I used to go as a customer. I'm a store manager now, and this is my 11th year.
- on to work as a shop manager, do you have me that you have to cherish?
Rather than selling products, I always keep in mind how to serve customers who come to visit us again and how to get along with them. Don't force yourself to sell the product or push it. First of all, let's get along.
Ideally, I would make friends with the person who came to the store once, and when I came next time, I would bring a can of beer and say "I'm here to play".
I think people often say that "a house where people gather" is a good house, but the store is the same, and I think "a store where people gather" is a good store. That's why I hope that people who have become friends will gather and eventually lead to sales.
- did you have a such a customer from when I started to work?
When I first started, I think there was a time when I was a little conscious of sales and focused on selling.
However, when a customer who always buys gets married and has a family, it becomes difficult to spend much money on clothes, and it sometimes feels awkward to come to the store without buying anything.
Even though I got along well, I'm a little lonely saying "I can't go because I can't buy it"? I want you to feel free to come and visit me even after getting married.
So now, I'm always saying, "Even if you buy a million, my salary will change, so please get along with me instead ." The owner Takagi (the owner of TRUCK & KINGS and CASINO CLUB in Kyoto) may get angry, but I think this is a wise saying (laughs).
-Thank you for the cool quote! What is the moment when you work at a store and become a “good anbe”?
"When a customer comes to the store with beer without permission", isn't it? It's best to drink it at the store with the customers who came again!
-I've only come twice yet, but that's why we always serve canned beer when we come!
Yes. That's why this beer was also served by the customer.
Every year, customers who get along with me on my birthday come to give me canned beer, but I'm glad that the number is updated year by year.
So, this year it was Corona, so I was wondering if it was really few, but I got 700 and it was a record break. I was very happy with this.
− Please tell us about the “good anbe” moments in your daily life and holidays.
It's already fishing and rubbing! Lol
Fishing has been a hobby for a long time, but the moment when I feel particularly good is when I can catch a bass with a lure of the color I chose . I think people who are fishing know this, but it feels really good. I really want to go fishing every week, but I often don't drink too much the day before.
-You have uploaded photos on Instagram that you always enjoy drinking with your friends.
That's right. It's a really fun moment when I'm drinking with my companion. I'm a little embarrassed about the word "friend", so I say "accompanied", but sometimes I'm a staff member of a shop or a companion who made friends at a bar. There are many people from Okinawa, but Okinawans drink as much as stupid, so it's fun but scary (laughs)
* The representative is from Okinawa
Also, as I said earlier, I'll soon get along with the customers and go out for a drink. When I came to Osaka from Kagawa, I had a strong desire to have a lot of friends. I want to make more and more friends.
On the bench in front of the store with Mr. Hosoe (right) of the TRUCK & KINGS staff
Advice to Eanbe
-As a person who handles Eanbe, I would be grateful if you could give me some advice on how to become a brand that everyone will love in the future.
Well, I don't want to say that much, but if I say it strongly, I think it's better to increase the number of looks. There was only 3 types in the product lineup, right? To be honest, when I first saw it, I thought, "Is it a hobby!" (Laughs), but I can feel that I want to stick to it and do it carefully.
After that, people who work in clothing and who are familiar with it can understand the price to some extent from the materials and design, but it may seem that it is a little expensive as a brand to start doing.
Therefore, it would be nice to have a product that serves as an entrance for people to be interested in Hawaiian shirts.
"A simple outerwear for Aloha"
-Finally, you dressed up Eanbe's "World Music" coolly today. What are the points of your outfit?
I chose yellow as my character this time, but in reality I was thinking of making a coordination with the NBA Lakers color (* combination of yellow and purple) in mind. But when I put it together, it was a little too flashy and different. I went to a second-hand clothing store near the store and tried to coordinate with a slightly similar product, and I thought about it quite seriously.
-I'm sorry to say that you've done so much.
The final decision was to bring white T to the inner and open the front to show white. I knew that indigo and dark yellow would go well with each other, so I thought I should match the outerwear with this coverall. The outer is also open in front, giving a glimpse of the pattern. When the inside is patterned, I think it's better to keep the outer simple.
Below are beige pants in the same color as yellow, which are easy to match with the shirt and indigo outerwear. It's a shirt with a strong assertion, so the point of this outfit is to wear it so that you can't wear it.
- Cap: HWDOG & CO
- Coverall: PHIGVEL
- T-shirt: WACKO MARIA
- Pants: COOTIE
- Sneakers: VANS
The Eanbe staff will also bring canned beer from the next time.
Shintaro, thank you for your busy schedule!
Click here for Shintaro Minano's Instagram
■ TRUCK & KINGS
Address: 1F Nishitani Building, 1-10-11 Minamihorie, Nishi-ku, Osaka
Tel: 06-6543-1001
Business hours: 12: 00-20: 00
■ CASINO CLUB
Address: 152-1 Takoyakushi Takoya-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City 3 carat building 1F
Tel: 075-254-3058
Business hours: 12: 00-20: 00