Stationery and Lifestyle Brand Ana Tomy Opens a Pop-Up in SM Aura
It's a whole experience.
(SPOT.ph) Nothing beats the thrill of discovering new products in the store firsthand. You can choose the right items and inspect them closely, ensuring they're in good condition before making a purchase.
Now, Malaysian stationery and lifestyle brand ana tomy is bringing that experience to the Philippines. Their new pop-up store at SM Aura Premier—the brand's first physical store out of their home country, no less—lets you see everything in person. More than that, you'll also get to witness the creative process, customize your own personalized journal, notebook, or sketchbook, and take home a truly unique piece.
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Stationery and lifestyle brand ana tomy opens a pop-up store in SM Aura.
ICYDK, ana tomy was founded in Malaysia in 2016 and is a direct-to-consumer, made-to-order stationery and lifestyle brand. Behind the brand is a trio of friends Cliff, Zeejay, and Fidella, who share a love for creating.
The pop-up isn't going to be like your usual stationery shop; ana tomy is an experience. Here, you can create something entirely personal and intentional. From the cover, color, page, and layout to the elastic band that binds the journal—every detail is customizable. Whether it's a journal, sketchbook, or something else, you get to design something special and truly one-of-a-kind for yourself or your loved ones this holiday season.
The SPOT.ph team got to visit the ana tomy pop-up personally and experience the whole customization process—and we'd like to bring you with us.
The ana tomy temporary home is on the third floor of SM Aura, a charming spot in the middle of the floor. Its open layout lets passersby easily peek inside from both sides. If it's not the sight of the binding machine or the foil printing machine on one side that draws you in, then the fun, colorful covers made by our very own artists showcased up front will likely pique your curiosity and pull you inside.
But the fun doesn't end at the covers, though. It's actually just the beginning. First, you'll need an order card to guide you through the process of creating and customizing a notebook. As we said, it starts with choosing a cover—whether it's leatherbound (P5,800) or clothbound (P1,850) is up to you.
Cards indicating the design and colors hang on the walls of the pop-up. Simply pick one and put it on your tray. (Since this writer loves cats, I chose the artist-edition "Off Work" by Dawning Crow, a clothbound hardcover featuring a cat on it.) There is a plethora of different designs to choose from, including a few collaborations with Filipino artists, so you might find yourself spending more time than expected to choose one. Don't worry; everyone takes a bit too long to decide here, according to ana tomy.
Next, you'll choose the insert pages.
You'll need a total of 180 pages for your creation, whether it's a journal, notebook, or something else. Each design card indicates its page count, so it's just a matter of doing a little math and adding it all up to reach 180. From plain to ruled, dotted to grid, and even half-plain-half-grid pages, ana tomy offers every layout imaginable. Habit tracker? Task planner? To-do list? A recipe journal? They have it all.
I opted for the classic undated weekly layout, perfect for someone who needs to keep their ducks in a row. It also included a mix of ruled and half-plain-half-grid pages to suit various needs. When creating your notebook, remember to arrange the pages in the specific order you want to see them. Again, take your time with the process.
No, you're not yet done. You'll need to choose accessories like twin loop wires, elastic bands (for clothbound notebooks only), bookmark rulers with ribbons, and even the color of the name inscription on the cover of your book.
Once you've finalized all your choices, you can head to the counter to pay and watch the magic unfold (a.k.a assembling your creation). The in-house machines assemble each notebook in just 15-20 minutes (although it also depends on the number of people getting their notebooks done at the same time). While waiting, you can walk around ana tomy's pop-up and check out other delightful items available, such as their cutesy colored book totes.
Their brushed cotton canvas totes with interior slip pockets are also—surprise surprise—customizable. You can add a personal touch with embroidered names, initials, or numbers on the totes. Available in various hues, these roomy totes are perfect for carrying your essentials. It also has handles that allow you to carry it over your shoulder or by the hand.
Ana tomy also has the new City Bag (P3,000) at the pop-up store. Think of your reliable dumpling bag, but make it customizable. The slouchy bag features spacious interiors, adjustable straps and handles, and even a detachable front pocket in fun colors that you can mix and match with other City Bags (that is, if you buy more than one—and we know you'll want to). Like other ana tomy products, you can also get your initials, name, or numbers embroidered on it.
Once the time is up and your personalized notebook is ready, it will be presented in a cool box that can be used to store your old, filled-up journals. It's like a personal archive box, a sentimental time capsule you can look back on years from now. Whether you're a first-timer looking to try out journaling, an organized girlie who wants to get better at tracking down important stuff, or an avid lover of stationery who finds therapy in collecting and creating, a visit to ana tomy is surely worth it.
According to the ana tomy socials, the pop-up will be at SM Aura Premier until January or February next year.
Where to find ana tomy in the Philippines?
The ana tomy pop-up store is located on the third floor of SM Aura Premier, 26th Street Corner McKinley Parkway, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. You can also check out their items (and go through the journal-creating process) online through their website.
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