Ukraine – The Low Down Adventure

If there ever was a country that tried to break us – it would be Ukraine. It DID break us. It was depressing. We’re used to nonstop hi-fiving and drooling over all the rad we discover, but not this sourcing trip. After 4 back-to-back, 10-hour days of nonstop hunting for goods… I sat on my hotel bed wishing for magic to happen. I begged for a fairy godmother to transport us to an oasis of office supplies.

So many countries have endless options. Mexico, Germany, and Korea… my mind is blown every time I visit those countries because of the endless supplies. But in Ukraine, the office supply shops were small, the smallest I’ve seen. I was constantly surprised by the slim pickings, both in design and supplies available to purchase. They didn’t even stock the standards that we spy in every country!

A mental shift needed to happen. We took a self-imposed time out and treated ourselves to a relaxing lunch that included a much-needed and well-deserved beer. Didn’t matter that we were running out of time… we needed to switch gears in order to get to a happy place. And good thing we did because from that point forward, it seemed like everyone we met offered to help us hunt down the goods for the STMT X Ukraine Kit.

Straight up, this kit wouldn’t of happened if it wasn’t for all the amazing people we met along the way… A shopkeeper walking us to the bus and asking the driver to make sure we get off at the right stop (multiple times). A shop manager spending the afternoon walking us from store to store (he skipped work for us!!), and a cab driver who called everyone in his cell phone to ask about shops. Yes, yes our fairy godmother did work her magic… put together a kit with a whole lotta pattern-overload awesomeness thanks to all our new friends.

Scored a notebook rockin’ pages for practicing your penmanship. The horizontal  lines… the diagonal lines, more pattern-overload awesomeness that I can’t get enough of. Another similar shaped notebook with ruled lines. Couldn’t pass it up because of the tactile cover in all it’s glory. And then a pen with its very own peep-show? Candy-cane striped ink barrel for the world to see through the clear pastel tube. And the last item we scored – the notebooks rockin’ a kraft colored, thickass cover with dreamy, creamy colored sheets.

Ukraine – you be one big tease. Took forever and a day to hunt down all the goodness but sometimes the chase is where it’s at.

oxxo, Hen