Whenever I go to a mall where a Flying Tiger Copenhagen chainstore is located, I always make sure to pay a visit. The teenager me would splurge so hard like there’s no end – but the mature, more responsible version of me have survived several Flying Tiger trips without purchasing anything. My husband once said that Flying Tiger is like the Danish version of Miniso, and of course he is totally wrong. In the eyes of a guy who never enters both stores and waits outside while their wives shop (aka my husband), Miniso and Flying Tiger might look the same…but they are totally different.
Miniso experience is always overstimulating. I love pink, but their stores get pinker and pinker every time I pass them by (okay, probably because of their recent collaboration with Barbie…the whole collection is in bright magenta). Miniso offers a much bigger array of goods, be it the essentials or the superficials. They have nail clippers, they also have SpongeBob figure blind box. They have earphone, they also have Harry Potter reed diffuser. Business scale-wise, Miniso and Flying Tiger is clearly not on the same level. In Indonesia – where I live – Miniso has 300 stores, while Flying Tiger has 16.
Honestly, I always feel like the entire Flying Tiger store was made for me. The collections are always cute, with a touch of quirk. For example, this pearl necklace. In order to retrieve the pearl, you have to open the tin can, find an oyster inside with the pearl, and put it in the pendant. That’s really, really cute!!! If I had the resources, my brick-and-mortar store would sell stuff exactly like that one. I didn’t buy the necklace because I think it’s only suitable as a gift for a niece (I don’t have any).
Do I love my Flying Tiger purchase? Absolutely. Do I find all of them truly useful? Well…right now, only the red heart bowl and foldable boxes are in use. The garden gnome (the Amélie fan in me screamed when I saw him) will remain useless until I have a gardening section. The cup with brush holder will also remain useless until I finally try watercolor painting. Not sure what to do with the bunny candle holder…and the tulip candle holder. I have used the flamingo once to stir fruit ice tea. I brought the sardine once for a trip, to store my dirty laundry. I have an obscure idea about the candy vending machine, maybe I will make a video of it later. The pink tray was used to keep my vintage Seiko, but the watch mysteriously died after I put it there. And mysteriously came back to its health after I no longer put it in the tray. Is there something about watch machine and glass that I don’t know about??
I’m aware that some of the things above (like the candle holders) are meant to be purchased in pairs, or more. They look so awkward being alone in their own kind. This is the problem when you buy home decor goods with no vision in mind! Or maybe…I was just being cheap, haha. I initially hesitated to buy the pink foldable box because the same foldable box – with the same mechanism, just in different color – are sold on Shopee with cheaper price. I need more than one box, so I did the thinking first before going to the cashier. Why should I buy the slightly translucent yummy pink foldable box for IDR 50.000 while I can save by buying the dull pink foldable box for half its price? Yes…exactly. Colors really do matter that much, so I surrender. Also turns out, the Flying Tiger one is thicker and sturdier.
Funny thing is, I happen to have a digital product that looks like the inside of Flying Tiger store. The inspiration is Danish pastel, one of my favorite aesthetics since it looks so clean, but still full of personality. I made this desktop organizer set with a cozy apartment in mind – which is a dream of mine. Chilling in my sofa, with Flying Tiger haul all over the place. How amazing that must be…
Download Cozy Living Room Desktop Wallpaper + Icons set here ♡
