Japanese tidying guru Marie Kondo has sparked something other than joy after announcing a new online wellness and homeware store.
Kondo made a name for herself encouraging people to declutter their homes and minds with her KonMari method which asks people to rid their homes of things that don’t “spark joy.” This week, to help you reclutter the space you cleared, she launched a new store on her website selling everything from storage containers and slippers to palo santo holders. The most expensive item in the store is a $275 brass kitchen utensils holder, while a crystal and tuning fork set which “help to restore a sense of balance” will set you back $75.
“My tidying method isn’t about getting rid of things – it’s about heightening your sensitivity to what brings you joy,” Kondo writes in a letter on her website announcing the store. “Once you’ve completed your tidying, there is room to welcome meaningful objects, people and experiences into your life.”
However, many people have found irony and a few eye rolls in Kondo preaching against clutter only to sell household items of her own. “Marie Kondo is a genius hustler. Convince everyone to throw out their useless homewares, sell them some new useless homewares,” tweeted journalist Osman Faruqi, while reporter Hiroko Tabuchi wrote, “Can't make this stuff up: Marie Kondo, queen of the clutter-free life, has added an e-commerce shop to her site.”