Baseball gloves became a hot topic when Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers donated 60,000 gloves to elementary schools across the country. But the price is rising. To address this issue, a store in Ota Ward sells “reconditioned gloves” made by repairing old gloves. The price is almost half that of a new glove. Using their technology, they also repair and remake worn gloves.
Tomohiro Yonezawaya talks about recycled gloves in Ota Ward
◆Some items are as good as new if you look at the outside only.
Upon entering the store, there are over 100 recycled gloves lined up on the shelf on the left. There are the same number as the new ones on the shelf on the right. Some look like new on the outside, but when you pick one up and look inside, you’ll see that the part that grips the ball is black, making it clear that it’s a second-hand item. A new hardball model costs 60,000 yen, while a recycled one costs 27,800 yen. They are apparently priced at about half the price.
Repaired and remade glove = Ota Ward
The shop is called “Baseball Glove Regeneration Workshop Re-Birth”. It is located almost halfway between JR Kamata Station and Keikyu Kamata Station. The shop was opened in January 2021 by the representative, Tomohiro Yonezawaya (42).
◆ From the Internet…Go to the store to hear detailed requests
Yonezawaya was involved in product planning for baseball equipment at a major IT company that handles mail-order sales. After going independent, he started a business in February 2020 to remake and sell gloves that he bought or received as donations. He would accept damaged gloves through the internet, repair or remake them, and send them back.
“We received a lot of feedback from customers that it was difficult to communicate detailed requests over the internet, so we opened a brick-and-mortar store where we could discuss things face-to-face.” By replacing the strings that connect the parts, removing wrinkles from the catching surface, and applying oil, we give each glove the proper care to suit its condition, and over the past four years we have restored more than 10,000 gloves. We also have stores in Setagaya Ward and Tama City, and continue to do business online.
◆Prices have risen 1.4 times in 9 years
The high demand for recycled products is due to the rising price of gloves. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ Retail Price Statistics Survey, the national average price for an adult softball glove (mid-range) in April this year was 14,984 yen. This is 1.4 times the price of 10,428 yen in April 2015, nine years ago. This is thought to be due to the rise in the cost of cowhide leather and transportation costs. The rising price is a troubling issue for people who want to start playing baseball.
On this day, Asuka Yamashita from Suginami Ward came to the store to ask about a glove for her second son, Hinata, a first-year junior high school student who had joined a hardball baseball club. “My son hasn’t decided on a position yet, so we can’t buy a new one. He’s been a catcher in softball until now, but I was wondering if we could refurbish his old glove for a hardball glove.”
◆ The highest ranking “Glove Master” will be available to answer your questions
Meeting those demands requires high skill. Listening to Yamashita’s story was the store’s glove master, Satoshi Oki (27). He is a craftsman who handles repairs and restorations, and is a “platinum” craftsman, the highest of the four skill levels. He said that in addition to replacing the damaged leather on Haruka’s glove, it is “possible to restore it” by gluing on a different piece of leather or sewing it together with a sewing machine.
Glove master Ken Oki repairing a glove
In fact, Yonezawaya was a member of the Akita Commercial High School team that represented Akita Prefecture at the summer Koshien tournament. “I think recycled gloves can help people who are hesitant to play baseball because they think it’s too expensive. I also want to respond to the feelings of players who want to continue using their beloved gloves,” he said.
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The Kamata store is located at 5-26-8 Kamata, Ota-ku. There are also Futako Tamagawa stores (3-13-4 Tamagawa, Setagaya-ku) and Tama Nagayama stores (1-1-7 Nagayama, Tama-shi). Regular holidays and business hours vary by store. Search for the online shop by store name.
For inquiries, please call 03 (6281) 8783. Available from noon to 8pm, excluding weekends and holidays.
Text by Akio Sakurai / Photos by Kazuhiro Ichikawa
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2024-06-12 15:00:01
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