At the "Former Stozen Building" on Komise Street in Nakamachi, Kuroishi, Aomori, a couple who moved to Aomori are currently looking for supporters for a project to create a base for regional activities.

The 500-square-meter building in the early Showa era, the Stozen Department Store, was a store that sold household goods on the first floor and a living space on the second floor. The store has been vacant since 2015, but now there is a shared kitchen and a real store on the 1st floor. We are looking for yen fund supporters through crowdfunding.

Mr. Masatoshi Furukawa and Mr. Ayaka Sawazaki are calling for recruitment. The two are a married couple who met at a design office in Yokohama and moved to Aomori, Furukawa's hometown, in 2021. After moving, the two used the first floor of the Stozen Building as an office, and started the shared kitchen business "Circle Komise" in June 2022. “Coffee shops and bakeries in Aomori and Hirosaki have opened events, and people have been calling people, creating a lot of exchanges. I decided to create it as a place to support challenges,” says Furukawa.

According to Furukawa, in order to renovate the second floor of the same building, which was built more than 50 years ago, it will be necessary to install firefighting equipment and work to make it earthquake-resistant. The goal is not only to create a store space on the second floor, but also to create a free space that children can use, a place that artists can use as an atelier, and a place that can be used as a dance class. Construction is set to begin in June and is expected to be completed in August.

Return items for support include free space naming rights, one-day store opening plans, and first-class architects Mr. Furukawa and Mr. Sawazaki's vacant house utilization consultation plans. Mr. Furukawa said, "We have prepared a sightseeing plan where you can enjoy Kuroishi's Neputa and Yosare, and workshops with friends you met at the event."

Crowdfunding began recruiting on April 2, and it is said that more than 1.2 million yen has been collected so far. Mr. Furukawa says, "There is no activity in the city unless people gather and circulate. First of all, I want to develop a place that connects the city and people here, which is also the center of Kuroishi."

Ms. Sawazaki said, ``When we first moved, we thought that there would be a negative reaction to us as a couple from outside, but the people of Kuroishi are surprisingly cooperative and supportive. I want to give shape to what Kuroishi can do one by one,” he said enthusiastically.

Recruitment of support is until may 10th.