My name is Joe Samalin. I am the founder and owner of Nihonsan Tools and Hardware here in Brooklyn, New York. We are the only store in the U.S. that not only imports and sells Japanese hand tools for woodworking, but also teaches you how to use them, through a variety of workshops, classes, meetups, and more.
We started the shop in the summer of 2024, and since then as you might have heard of or noticed, a lot of small businesses like ours have been hit really hard by the unpredictable tariffs that have been imposed. And so we need your help. In order to grow we need more inventory, and to get more inventory we need to grow. You can see the challenge there. And so we are making a one-time ask to you, our community, to help us raise $25,000 to do a number of things:
Restock our inventory
Stabilize ourselves given the tariffs and the unpredictability of them
Hire a store manager that's going to help keep the inventory pipeline flowing, and grow our business to meet our growing community's needs
Move to a larger space, as we have outgrown our current location!
We are asking you, our customers and our students, our partners friends and family, any craft-minded people out there that want to build their first toolbox with us, or carve their first chopstick by hand with us, to give what you can. This is a one-time ask because we are in the process of securing more traditional capital to help us expand, but the tariffs and now the war in Iran and closing of the Strait of Hormuz have increased our tool costs and shipping costs, putting us in an immediate financial crisis.
Every single dollar means a lot to us and helps, and if you can't give right now we totally understand it. We have been there too, we've all been there. But we ask that maybe that you share this with someone who can give at the moment. And if you are able to give a donation, then we have come up with what we think is a pretty fun list of ways to say thank you. You can see them listed down below.
Whether you can give or not, support us financially at the moment or not, I just want to say, minna-san no kyoryoku no hodo, nani tozo, honto ni yoroshiku onegai itashimasu. (Thank you very much, from the bottom of my heart for any and all help and support you give.)
Thank You Gifts - we sincerely appreciate any and all help we receive, and some of these gifts are in limited supply, and will be given on a first-donate, fist-served basis. If you donate, you will be allowed to choose one gift from the amount category you gave or lower. Any questions please let us know!
For a donation of $1 or more - attend our free ;) monthly meetups the second Thursday of every month
For a donation of $25 - come make a pair of chopsticks in the shop
For a donation of $100 - free tenugui (Japanese patterned cotton hand towel)
For a donation of $500 - free finishing consultation, 1-on-1, with Eddie O'Donnel
For a donation of $500 - your choice of Japanese white steel chisel, ryoba saw, or 42mm hand plane
For a donation of $1000 - free 2-day Build Your Toolbox class, Nihonsan's original beginner class in Japanese woodworking
For a donation of $5000 - free private class for you and up to 8 guests in kintsugi, kumiko, or chopstick carving
