Hotori co-owners Torri Myers and Nam Ho work with two well-trained shop clerks, Miles and Pia, at their new store on the west end of Walnut Street. (Photos: Nicole Trower of Studio Preservation)
By Hailey Evans
When you step into Hotori, you’ll likely be greeted by a pair of wet noses and eight fluffy paws — Miles and Pia, the two English cocker spaniel sales associates. Owners Nam Ho and Torri Myers are next to say hello. The store’s name combines their names.
They opened their Asian-inspired boutique at 1417 Walnut St. in March. Inside, shoppers can find snacks, housewares and kitchen gadgets, host gifts, cookbooks, and likely much more as the sales floor and inventory expand in the months ahead.
Ho and Myers, who have been dating since 2018, were inspired by similar stores they came across during trips to California visiting Ho’s family. As they explored new neighborhoods, many with Asian heritage and influence, they collected unique items to bring back to Des Moines.
“We handpicked a lot of these brands,” Myers said. “Most times, I’ve reached out directly to the person that makes the product. I have products from a Korean American tattoo artist who makes incense in the store right now. What’s crazy is for a lot of these small brands it’s the first time they’re being sold in Des Moines, in Iowa even.” She likes to use the word “artful” to describe the store, and the experience of it.
An assortment of colorful cookbooks about a wide range of Asian cooking styles and cuisines lines the front of the checkout station. “I always beeline toward the cookbooks section in any bookstore,” Myers said.
They also carry Hasami Porcelain, a Japanese brand you might recognize if you’re into Japandi style, which mixes Japanese and Scandinavian minimalism. It’s one of Ho’s favorites. It’s a popular brand online, but Ho said they wanted to carry it at Hotori so people could see and feel it for themselves before making the investment.
Other products come from one of their favorite restaurants in Los Angeles, Woon, where the owner and his mother, the chef, created a line of sauces, seasonings and tea blends from their Chinese restaurant.
“People our age are now making traditional things new and fun, maybe more approachable or just bringing new light to it,” said Myers, who is 33. She’s half Korean, born and raised in Des Moines, and Ho, who is 36, is Vietnamese. Learning more about other Asian cultures and being able to share them with customers “has been a pleasure and what we always hoped this store would do,” Myers said.
“There’s a range of identity in this store,” she added. “As a Korean American, I haven’t always been aware of how I’ve felt about my own identity. For me this is a way of celebrating it; showcasing it can be meaningful and colorful.”
It’s no surprise that Ho and Myers enjoy hosting their friends and feeding them the foods they grew up with. Just before their official opening in March, the pair took over Horizon Line Coffee, the neighboring coffee shop Ho co-owns with Brad Penna, and hosted a party for the Lunar New Year. They went all out with homemade food and red decorations. Myers teared up a bit as she explained how embracing her culture has affected her: “I can’t speak the language, I can’t read the language, but I can cook the food and I can share that.”
Torri’s tips for a perfect host gift basket
“Start with a cookbook.” Try “Salt Sugar MSG: Recipes and Stories From a Cantonese American Home” by Calvin Eng.
“Mom’s dish sponge.” Myers’ mother crochets these sparkly Korean dish scrubbers by hand. They’re a traditional Korean housewarming gift.
“Something to eat right away.” Fossa Chocolate, an artisanal brand in Singapore, makes all kinds of unique flavors like hojicha (roasted green tea), lychee rose, matcha yuzu, and ginseng chrysanthemum.
Add a few cooking staples, like Queens Cham Gireum Roasted Sesame Oil or a wooden spoon.
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