Unboxing.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

When we relaunched the Checkpoint website back in April I spent a lot of time reminiscing.

Somewhere between logical thoughts and me floating away on an absolute fever dream of nostalgic emotion, I managed to come up with the first sentence for our return article.

I wrote: This is the beginning of something that ended right in the middle.

The problem with a thought like that is that it typically ends up consuming you, and consume us it did.

The thing is, In 2017, Checkpoint was created with little more than just one good idea. Simply put, the idea was that it would be exciting for us to unearth collectables, merchandise and good goods from Japan, then provide the Pacific Northwest with an access point for these products. Our passion for these goods is derived deeply in how reflective they are of a culture that is both long past and far away from home, yet still unexplainably stylish and relevant.

But doing Checkpoint in 2021 looks a lot different, our old channels for sourcing second-hand and vintage goods shifted, and the best methods for shipping have also been affected by the pandemic and the international container shortage alike. The game had changed.

Despite the challenges, nuances and new discoveries, we did it.

We are both eager and excited to share that our store restock is finally here; a barrage of good goods from Japan, hand-picked and carefully curated to fit our store.