Focus on the local, natural resources of Hokkaido just as the Arab oil kings do.
There was a clear reason why sales were decreasing. It was because demand for new clothes grew more than demand for old clothes. Online shopping also developed at this time. “Everyone was now shopping online and there were less chances to buy clothing in the stores. The time had come to question the need and significance of having a bricks and mortar shop.” If trends were simply changing, a sales adjustment from old clothing to new clothing would be all that was required. However, if customers stopped coming to the shop, a new strategy would be required. “When I thought about why the Arab oil kings are rich, I realized that they utilize their natural resources. This was a clue for me. I thought, 'What local resources are abundantly overflowing in Hokkaido?'. Then I focused on the wasted antlers of the destructive Ezo Shika. Their antlers grow very large due to the severe Hokkaido winter cold. Their mere existence is very attractive." Mr. Morii is of course very particular about what he does and had never even thought of just selling the antlers as they were. “I thought that if we commercialized this product and added a value that could not be found anywhere else, we would be able to create demand not only in Hokkaido but also throughout Japan and the world.” From the beginning, the shop was very particular about what they sold. He was confident that customers would come back even if they sold strangely unusual items as long as they were made with a good sense. “Although they were imitations, I had previously dealt with deer antler chandeliers imported from Mexico. We sold 3 units. I guessed that there was some kind of demand and I thought I could make a better chandelier if I used real deer antlers.”
Decided to publish advertisements in a national newspaper while ignoring the detractors.
Mr. Morii was able to get deer antlers at a low price by asking hunters. But it cost about 2.7 million yen to make the first model. So they could not immediately start producing chandeliers. “A support subsidy from the city allowed us to radically change course.” Mr. Morii talked about the reaction of doubters when the first prototype was shown after 7 years of struggle from when the concept first came up. "Everyone offered compliments 'This is amazing!' however the next words were always 'But who is gonna buy this?" Everyone was a skeptic. 'It’s good but nobody will buy such an expensive thing.' This is what everyone assumed.” At this stage, an opportunity arose to advertise in national newspapers. Up until this point, Mr.Morii had discussions with staff and decided not running advertisements even when costing only 40,000 yen per ad. But from now, he was determined to run a 800,000 yen half-page ad in a national newspaper. “All the staff were worried. But I could spend the money without hesitation because we had planned and had confidence in the products . And because it was a new challenge, I wanted to try advertising too.” About a week later they received a call. It was an order from a man with a major apparel company in Tokyo. “He gave us a call after seeing our ad. He had seen a similar product in the US but he still complimented us. 'I have never seen one of this high quality before. This is great!' I was so happy." Since then there have been constant requests from the presidents of major companies in Tokyo and from artists who want to use their products on a live stage. This shows that Mr. Morii's decision to take out ads was not wrong but rather much more successful than they had expected.
The ideal lifestyle is a cowboy.
DEER HORN SMITH'S deer antler chandeliers are carefully made one by one by the hands of Mr. Morii and his trusted staff. An annual production of 40 to 50 units is the limit. Mr. Morii runs apparel stores but he says the joy of when something he made with passion has been accepted by customers is greater than simply selling clothes. “My ideal lifestyle is a cowboy. Cowboys take care of horses and do everything on their own. That ’s how I wanted to be. I think that is why I’m happy to make things by myself.” Mr. Morii had actually tried to be a real cowboy in the past. This is why he built his houses and workshops on a small hill surrounded by nature. He used to keep horses although they have been let go as he’s currently too busy at work to care for them. He sometimes even rode them around the city. Mr. Murakami is a staff member with a lot of respect for Mr. Morii. They have been making deer antler chandeliers together for over 10 years. Mr. Murakami was originally a fan and customer of Mr. Morii's stores. Mr. Morii then asked him to join the company and they began working together. Mr. Morii says, “When I saw Mr. Murakami work at the previous workplace, I thought it would be great if he could help me. That was the start.” One time Mr. Morii pointed out some deficiency in Mr. Murakami's work while they were toiling away at 3am or 4am. Though it would require more than 2 hours more work to make the changes, Mr. Murakami obediently accepted it. “He has as strong mind about the brand as I do. So neither of us compromise with each other.” Mr. Morii tells us. The deer antler chandeliers by DEER HORN SMITH’S are carefully made by northern cowboys and illuminate many places in Japan today.