There’s very little in the way of commerce near Yaeca Home Store in the upscale residential neighborhood of Shirokane. Located on a quiet street on a quiet hill, the concept shop is hidden behind the unmarked front door of a pretty but otherwise unremarkable house. Inside and to the right, a few pieces of handsome wooden furniture populate the living room. Vintage speakers pipe soothing, ambient music into the space. There are no price tags on anything.

In the kitchen, a woman behind glass is operating a KitchenAid mixer, and there’s a tray of unbaked cookies on the counter in front of her. On a table on the other side of the glass, baked versions of the treats are neatly packaged in white wrappers and arranged in rows. Upstairs, in the bedroom, a few racks of black, white, camel an...