The thriving Business of art

Queen Alandy Dy-Manly and the Tokyo Finds kit

Tokyo Finds can be easily mistaken for an imported brand, but it is proud to be all-Filipino.

But it’s also no surprise that the entrepreneurs behind Tokyo Finds chose this busy capital—a city where over 4,000 colors of pigment can be bought in a single store and six floors of a building are solely dedicated to art supplies—to represent what they’re trying to make available and accessible in the country.

While founders Queen Alandy Dy-Manly and Nill Patrick Arroyo have century-old stationery store Itoya and DIY lifestyle chain Tokyu Hands as their benchmarks, it is within their families where they found an even more compelling reason to pursue this business.

Even if they aren’t artists themselves, they know art’s great influence and therapeutic power first-hand.

“We both have people with disabilities in the family, and art has always served as a sort of release for them. Every product we create is inspired by them—how we see them use it and how it helps us bond,” Queen shared.

They banked on the popularity of brush pens when the company first started in 2011, eventually growing this product line with different types and tips.

The company took on the challenge to make Japanese art materials more affordable for Filipinos, talking to different Tokyo-based suppliers.

Initially, Tokyo Finds was just set on discovering and curating the best art materials.

Nill and Queen explored each stationery store in every Asian city they found themselves in—Tokyo, Taipei, Hong Kong and even Seoul—looking for unique products and spotting emerging trends.

But fierce competition drove the brand to distinguish the products they put out in the market.

This led to the creation of versatile and convenient art packages like the Tori Brush and instructional Launchboxes.

Seven years into the game, the Japanese influence doesn’t stop in ensuring the quality of products they create.

Tokyo Finds also embodies the Kaizen philosophy—a concept that emphasizes gradual change for the better.

“We believe in the philosophy of continuous improvement. After a product is created, we seek feedback, and everything gets improved shortly after. We do tons of tweaks to a product. Every time a customer buys, it’s already a better version than the last,” Queen said.

In October, Tokyo Finds introduced its newest creation: the Floating Art kids’ set.

“Nill and I are more entrepreneurs than artists, and it’s in the business side where we really come to play—we get our high from the creation of products, and we really dig into the different components and elements to make each one successful,” Queen said. “There’s an art in doing business, too. And whatever it is, I think we’re doing it right.”