Sumi makes ink sticks in Kyoto, by hand, the way the family has for four generations. Most of its customers are calligraphers abroad who had never seen the inks in person.
Every product page shows the ink on three papers at three dilutions, filmed in the workshop. Customers compare the grey of one stick against another before they buy, which was the question the shop answered most by email.
The store runs on Shopify with a custom front end. Stock is small and changes weekly, so the team updates it from a single sheet that syncs overnight.
