Loose Buttons is an independent publication, founded by Moe Ebii and Jen Liu, based in New York City. We explore community-oriented approaches in design by showcasing conversations that highlight independent designers, artists, and craftsmen.

We a primarily in print, but are also online at @fromloosebuttons on Instagram. 

If you would like to collaborate or be featured on Loose Buttons, please email us at fromloosebuttons@gmail.com.




Index
01.
02.
03.
04.
05.
06.
Issue 1
Issue 2
Issue 3
Issue 4
DIALECTIVE Runway
Loose Buttons × Amanda Zheng
from Moe and Jen
01.Issue 1

Oct 2024
Publication







02.Issue 2
Dec 2024
Publication





03.Issue 3

March 2025 Publication





04.Issue 4

Oct 2025
 Publication





05.DIALECTIVE Runway

May 2025 Showcards





06.Loose Buttons × Amanda Zheng

Feb 2025
 Photoshoot



×BOMIIssue 4
Oct 2025

BOMI, a small boutique in SoHo founded by Bomi Jin over a year and a half ago, is a lifestyle concept store that curates home goods, accessories, and clothing. Beyond its form as a shop, BOMI is, at its heart, an art piece; it’s a physical expression of Bomi’s curatorial practice. Each object, carefully hand-picked by her from independent designers around the world, engages in a quiet dialogue with one another, revealing how stories can be told through objects.

On a summer Saturday, we met with Bomi at Washington Square Park. With sunlight filtering through the leaves and sounds of jazz filling the park, we found her, matcha in hand and her dog Ilo sitting quietly next to her.


As we sat with Bomi, she explained that the idea of starting her own business was something that had always lingered in the back of her mind. Before this, she spent 10 years at Nickelodeon as a motion designer and art director until she finally decided to take a leap of faith.

“At Nickelodeon, it was all in my head but I never executed it because when you have a stable job, you’re not desperate enough to start something. I was kind of dragging it for a really long time and at one point I had to decide: I need to leave and do this or otherwise I’m never going to do it, and just like a lot of people, during COVID, you have so much time to think about what you want to do in the future.

I loved working at Nickelodeon, but I didn’t see myself staying there for the rest of my life. At one point I knew that I had to move onto something else. Of course I could continue pursuing my graphic design background, but it just felt like it was time for me to follow what was really in my heart. There are different types of people, and I really respect people who are able to just choose one career and do it for the rest of their life. But for me, life is long and you have so many opportunities, and as a graphic designer you develop a lot of skills—not just in graphic design itself, but you develop an eye for the visual world; you can do photography, interior… you develop the taste and eye for it. I always felt like I could do so much more than just graphic design, and if I get that opportunity I want to take it. It was really more just curiosity, I wanted to discover and try more things.

And once I quit my job, that’s when I started to really dive into working on it. I didn’t have a back-up plan—I’m the type of person where, when I decide on something, I just have to do it. That’s the risk I’m taking, and that’s the only thing I’m focusing on. When you have a back-up plan you can go back, and I didn’t want that; it was like either this works out or I’m dying. I put everything in it, and I’m really glad I did because it’s been so fulfilling.

The store started as a passion project more than a business. I went in with no business plan, no financial numbers, goals, or anything. It was something I wanted to do for such a long time, at the back of my mind. For me, it’s kind of like a dream come true, and BOMI, to just describe it briefly, is a curation of independent designers all around the world and the curation is very personal to me. It’s not about what’s going to sell or anything, it’s all deeply personal; a brand that has a story, an aesthetic that aligns with my personal taste.”

BOMI, she explains, is centered around her own curation and taste.

“With BOMI it all comes down to the curation. It’s not about just one object that appeals to you, but more about how when one object sits next to another, it creates an energy together. So within this one space, if things are cohesive and they work together, then this object comes to you more than when you see it by itself.

Taste, it’s a very personal thing, there’s no right or wrong answer. Someone could say I have good taste but another person might disagree. The standard is really up to personal preference. I think that I developed my taste through traveling a lot and seeing a lot of things, and being exposed to a lot of things. Also being in New York, you get to see a lot of inspiring people and places, and it’s really the accumulation of time and experiences. It’s never like, “I want to look at this to develop my taste,” it’s something that just naturally builds. When you’re young, it’s like navigating what you really want and what your style is, but as you experience things and try things, over time you find a way to land on a style that really fits you and feels true to yourself.”

On the topic of curation, we asked Bomi what the process of sourcing and buying from designers is like.

“I didn’t know this when I started, but buying is a full-time job. I feel like I’m always researching, looking for new brands. I do have a lot of brands that reach out to me, but most of the time it’s really just me actively looking and finding. For me, it’s not just about having good products, but also the whole story around the brand.

Before I started BOMI, I had zero experience with any retail or running a business, so I was really jumping into the dark. I had no idea what I was supposed to do, but the first thing I did was create a moodboard showcasing my vision: a list of brands that I wanted to work with and what products I wanted to curate together. I had a moodboard, a deck, and a brief introduction about what I wanted to do. It was difficult not having any physical proof, but most brands did believe in me and my dream, which I’m really thankful for. But now that the store is more established, it’s a much easier buying process than before.”

Bomi’s approach to business is best described as organic and authentic.

“SoHo is a great location because it's the easiest neighbourhood to get to. I enjoy shopping in that area, but I can hardly really find stores that speak to me. In SoHo, it’s mostly high-end brands and they’re generally geared towards a specific audience. I wanted to create a space that is warm and inviting, as if you were visiting your friend’s apartment, where anyone can casually come and grab something. I wanted a variety in prices. I wanted it to be the kind of store that you could find in Brooklyn, maybe, but it’s in Soho, and as a new brand, I thought that no one would really go out of their way to go to the shop, whereas if it’s in SoHo, it’s so convenient; it’s like if you’re in SoHo already, why not stop by and check out this new store, that kind of thing. And I think it was a good choice.

At the same time, my store is on the second floor, and before I opened, I was so nervous about that. When you’re on the ground floor, it’s like free marketing; people will just pass by and discover the store. Whereas with BOMI, you have to know the store to know that it’s there. So your visibility has to come from somewhere else, like social media or word of mouth. People often say, “Post more, you need to post everyday, post whatever!” But I really don’t want to do that, I think that just becomes noise and I want to be mindful of what I post on our feed. 

I’ve never done any big marketing, it was all very organic. My friends would come, and then they would tell their friends and so on. And it’s really all by word of mouth, organically spreading out. I also think pop-ups and events help a lot to bring people in. I’ve done so many pop-ups and events to put my store out in the world. I’m always thinking of new ways to bring people into the store, and I think that’s the most organic way to build excitement and spread the word.

I don’t want to focus on day to day sales, it’s really more about building a brand and identity. I just keep reminding myself how long I’ve wanted this. It’s not just about doing it for one year, I want to do this for a long time, and if you want to do that you have to pace yourself. It can be slow, but I want to find my own pace and way to do it, instead of like I need to sell this today. And of course I often feel like I’m not doing enough, but I have to slow down and consider what is really true to myself and my brand: Going slow but for long periods of time, instead of just sparks for one moment.”
Everything in the store is managed by Bomi. It wasn’t until this summer that she started hiring employees to help her.

“At my previous job, I had a good work and life balance. I would give everything at work, but when I went home, I could step away from it. Also with vacations, you can take your time off and be completely off of work, but having a business it’s different where your brain is constantly working. There’s never a day where you are just free of it, in a good way and also a bad way. In the very beginning I was struggling with trying to figure out what my life was becoming; I was constantly working. Now I’m finding a way to do things; I feel like work has become a part of my life and I’ve just accepted it now, and I don’t feel anxious about it anymore. I don’t have to separate personal time and work, and it’s my passion project so work is my hobby. But it’s so much more fulfilling at the end of the day, because you’re really putting yourself in it, and every outcome is so rewarding and you’re really just doing it for yourself. But you have to remind yourself to not overdo it because there’s no one to limit you and sometimes you just want to keep going, but it’s good to take a pause and think about the next step.

I was putting off getting help for such a long time because this is my baby and I’ve poured everything into it. It’s really hard for me to take a step back. I always thought I could never delegate this job to anybody because I want to do and control everything. I wasn’t sure if I would find the right person. But I was starting to get really burnt out. I couldn’t find time to fully rest, and I was constantly working, so I knew I needed some help. I think it hasn’t been too long since I started looking for someone, and I posted on Instagram because I wanted someone who was already familiar with BOMI, instead of someone who was randomly going onto LinkedIn or something. Luckily, I got really good responses and now I’m learning that it is really nice to get help and to delegate work.”

In December of this year, BOMI will have been open for two years. We were curious as to what  the future has in store.

“The first year, obviously, I’ve just been so grateful and I’ve been appreciative of any outcomes. But for the second year, I feel more pressure, and I feel like it has to be more than a passion project. I’m putting all my time, passion, everything in it, so the return has to be there. I sort of focus now more on how to make it more sustainable so that it financially makes sense and also so that I don’t get burnt out. I’m trying to find the balance of that.

I definitely want to produce my own stuff, not just curating. I want to make things that complete the curation, and I think that’s really my goal with what I want to do. With that I’ll get to do more exciting things like visual directions, and get to really express what’s in my head more than just the curation.”
To wrap things up, we asked her to reflect on the past year and a half, sharing any lessons she’s learned along the way.

“I think it’s cliché to say but you just have to do it. Anyone can have ideas in their head like, “I want to do this” or "I want to do that,” and people always say you just have to do it and it’s so true. You just have to listen to yourself and trust your gut. If you can’t get it out of your mind then you just have to do it. And of course you can fail, I was so scared every single time I made those decisions in my life, so scared and nervous, but what I learned at this age is that there’s no wrong decision.

There’s always that moment where I’m like, “why did I do that?” When opening the shop, looking back, I just want to tell myself not to be too scared. I often couldn’t sleep at night during that time, waking up at 3am being like, “Is this a right decision?”  “Why did I quit my job?” I had those moments of course, but, at the end of the day, nothing can even compare to it, it’s the most fulfilling thing. Whatever decision you make, you just have to give your everything, and that’s the best decision you’re going to make. Once you get into something, you don’t have to look too far ahead. You focus on what’s in front of you now, it’ll lead to something else that you didn’t even expect. Everything one step at a time, and doors will keep opening.

Also, don’t forget to take a step back and just pat yourself on the back along the way. I look back a year ago and I really didn’t expect myself to be where I am today, so really appreciating the journey and yourself, telling yourself that you did good is really important too.”


Visit BOMI at 54 Mercer Street, 2nd floor
Open Wednesday to Sunday, 11-7