Founded in 2008 and originally located on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Tortoise General Store is a husband-and-wife run shop dedicated to Japanese-produced home goods, stationery, clothing, and skincare that tell a story and easily integrate into the purchaser’s daily life. Owners Keiko and Taku Shinomoto were inspired to open the shop, which recently moved to Mar Vista, after visiting a general store in Hawaii where there was limited selection but a more intense focus on the customer’s needs, not whims. (In case you haven’t made the connection, “Tortoise” suggests a slow-and-steady lifestyle.) Items currently in the shop include a brass Kaikado pasta canister with measure ($300) and a pair of Tajika iron herb scissors ($70).
Tortoise General Store
Images by Sean Hazen