Marie Kondo became a pop culture sensation by getting people to rid their homes of things that do not bring them “joy”, through her best-selling book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” and hit Netflix show “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.”
But now the Japanese de-cluttering guru wants to fill those newly freed up spaces as she launches an online retail store on her website KonMari.com, which carries “items that spark joy for Marie and enhance your everyday routine.”
The shop is organized into seven categories — aromatherapy, bath, books, cooking and kitchen, décor and living, tabletop and entertaining, and tidying and organization –and offers items such as as a tuning fork with quartz crystal ($75) and a crumb brush ($24).
The idea of a minimalism maestro getting in on the home goods game had more than a few people giving the side-eye on social media with one posting, “So now #mariekondo wants you to buy as much of her stuff as possible? #ironic.”
And some fans found many of her products hard to swallow with a 5-centimeter box for paper clips costing $75, a large cheese knife listed at $180 (hey, the small one is only $156) and a glass water bottle with a gemstone inside going for the bargain price of $98.
i want an earthenware jar costing the same as my phone i can store my ceaseless joy and good vibrations inside
— Buildren (@buildren) November 18, 2019
@MarieKondo tricked everyone into getting rid of their stuff so they can buy her stuff. #mariekondo
— Matthew Kramer (@mckramer) November 18, 2019
According to the website, the fair-trade gemstones are “said to infuse the powers of gemstones into water while restoring it to a more pure state.”
Hopefully, there’s space on your counter for such a thing.
Marie understands some see a contradiction in her offering products to be placed in the home, but she insists she’s still on brand.
“I’m not trying to encourage over-purchasing anything. What’s most important to me is that you surround yourself with items that spark joy,” she told Wall Street Journal. “If the bowl that you’re using currently sparks joy for you, I don’t encourage replacing it at all.”
But if your old tea container ain’t sparking that joy, she has one — 5-inches tall and wooden — for $200.
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