"THINKING OF YOU"
About OMOI
OMOI is an independently owned and operated stationery and life goods store, founded and headquartered in Philadelphia in 2006. Our name is inspired by the Japanese verb “omou”, meaning “to think”, and even “heavy”.
Especially when the weight on our shoulders feels so much, OMOI is a shop that seeks to serve as a brief reprieve, and the type of place you go to enjoy yourself and find tools that re-energize your creativity.
We offer a selection of items that we like, use, and believe in, with an emphasis on thoughtful design, purpose, and a sense of connection.
Visit Omoi
Located in historic Old City, Philadelphia.
41 S 3rd Street
Phila PA, 19106
on 3rd Street between Chestnut & Market Streets
Hours
Open Daily
10AM – 6PM
Special Holiday Hours
Thanksgiving Eve
Wednesday, November 25
10AM - 4PM
Thanksgiving Day
Thursday, November 26
CLOSED
Christmas Eve
Thursday, December 24
10AM - 4PM
Christmas Day
Friday, December 25
CLOSED
New Years Eve
Thursday, December 31
10AM - 4PM
New Years Day
Friday, January 1
CLOSED
Special hours will be listed on Google.
Last minute hours will be posted in our Instagram Stories.
Call
1-215-454-6910
History of OMOI
Celebrating 20 Years in Business!
OMOI first opened in a much-loved, very cozy, 500 square foot storefront on 1608 Pine Street, tucked along the edge of Philadelphia's posh Rittenhouse neighborhood.
The year was 2006, and the plan was to run a retail experience the likes of which you'd feel shopping in Japan. We had a good, long tenure on Pine Street, selling raw denim and then-hard-to-find brands like Hysteric Glamour and MIDORI, toy cameras and vinyl toy blind boxes, and jewelry lines and artworks from the local talent who would hang out in the shop.
Around 2008, we launched the first version of our e-commerce store, which put a spotlight on the many then-rare stationery items we sold. This was before the prominence of Am*zon, Instagram, influencers, and direct global shipping.
In 2015, wanting to experiment with selling more homewares and larger goods, we opened up shop in the historic Old City district. This was the '2 locations' era. Then in 2017, a huge fire on our block closed the Old City location for almost 6 months! When we reopened, stationery was introduced in full force.
By 2021, after 12 months of working through the pandemic, we bid a fond farewell to the Pine Street store and centralized operations at our spacious Old City location, where we continue to thrive today, thanks to our fabulous customers!
For more on this topic, visit our blog for A Brief History of OMOI series, along with store tours, interviews, and other happenings.
Socials
@omoionline
Accessibility
If you are experiencing difficulty with any content on omoionline.com, require assistance with any part of our site, or have questions related to visiting our storefront, please send a message on our Contact page.
There is a slight, rounded lip at the bottom of our front double door. To date, our visitors who use wheelchairs have not found this a barrier to entry. We will be ready to assist your entry otherwise.
We typically keep one door open, but can quickly open both doors for easier ingress.
There are no stairs to climb and the salesfloor is all on the ground level.
We often burn scented candles and incense.
We sometimes have a chair with arms or a small bench for sitting, although this varies.
There is one nearby handicapped metered parking space, towards the corner of Chestnut on 3rd. Sometimes construction obstructs a clear pathway from that spot to our storefront. If this is a concern for you, we advise calling ahead to confirm the situation.
Please know that there are old notched sidewalks before and after our storefront that can be difficult for wheelchair and walker users to navigate, and in general slippery in cold wet weather.
What does OMOI mean?
「おもい」とは？
OMOI is pronounced like oh boy and is a Japanese word that can translate to thoughts, ideas, feelings.
Our name is originally a nod to the many amazing Japanese boutiques of the late 90s and 00s, with evocative names and incredible atmospheres. These places planted the seeds of inspiration that led to our existence.
OMOI today is a place with a "take care" and "thinking of you" sentiment. We express our thoughts and ideas through the tools and treasures of our product selection. We hope this inspires our customers to explore and connect with their own omoi.
When learning Japanese as a second language in the US, the first “omoi” you often learn is “heavy” 重い , followed by the more general “thoughts” 思い (from the verb omou “to think” 思う ). And if you go sing karaoke, you'll often see omoi written as 想い , hinting at a nuanced type of thoughtfulness.
In this heavy world, we're all we've got!