#07 Founding of Familia

On April 12, 1950, Baby Shop Familia was born, with the warmth of family in the name Familia.
These words perfectly reflect our desire to become a pioneer in baby products that are truly loved by mothers all over the country.

The birth of Familia

Shortly after Baby Shop Motoya became an independent store, rumors surfaced that the Renown Service Station next door to it to the south would be closing.
In fact, the owner of this place was Mr. Motoda.

I wanted to take this opportunity to turn the four girls' work into a full-fledged company and have them run it as a business, so I enthusiastically pushed for it.

Mr. Motoda also told them, "I'm willing to lend it to you," and they decided to turn it into a business.

Thus, on April 12, 1950, Familia Co., Ltd. was born at 328 Sannomiya-cho 2-chome, Ikuta-ku, Kobe.

The thoughts behind the company name

When we decided to expand from our baby shop to become a company, we needed a suitable name for our new company.
There was also the idea of "Baby Shop Kobe," but I wondered if it would be better to limit it to the place name Kobe.
"I wonder if we can come up with a bigger name that will allow us to expand into Osaka and Tokyo in the future," said Mitsuko. Perhaps at this point she already had the determination to go beyond just one baby shop in Kobe.
This idea resonated with everyone, and the dream spread to "become a pioneer in baby products that are truly loved by mothers all over the country."

Atsuko thought, "What about a company name that has a family-like meaning, something that is directed towards children and mothers?" and so she asked a foreigner she happened to meet how to say "family" in his native language.
"It's called Familiar." Atsuko immediately sensed that this had a friendly yet modern ring to it, but since they had all initially decided to use the English word "Baby Shop" in the store name, she decided to look it up in the dictionary when she got home. She was surprised to find that the English word "familiar" actually existed, and that it had meanings such as "more fun," "homely," and "best friend."
Everyone agreed with the proposal "Baby Shop Familia," and the new company name was decided to be "Familia."
It was a time when it was rare for a company to have an English name, so the company was sometimes called Familyya-san or Familiya-san. It was a very unique name for the time, but it also quickly made an impression on people's minds.