Poketo Story

Poketo opened its second shop in The Line Hotel in Koreatown, a shop for the discerning travelers where we also took over the gallery installation of the lobby and hosted conversations with different artists. We also popped up at Nordstrom, duplicating the Poketo retail experience inside 8 national flagships across the country. This was also the first year we started holding company retreats. The retreats were a time to celebrate our accomplishments and set our paths years to come.


We continued pop-ups with MOCA, Casetify, Everlane, Baggu, Hem, Dims, Join, Korea Institute of Design Promotion, and Urban Outfitters. Not only brands but independent artists Ellen Van Dusen, Lisa Congdon, Ladies & Gentleman, Eric Trine, Will Bryant, Chiaozza, and Sean Knibb had shows and collaborations. We grew to 4 Poketo locations to bring the Poketo community together across sprawling Los Angeles. Poketo created a licensing program and over the years have collaborated with Beyond Yoga, Takenaka, Corkcicle, Chronicle, Thousand, and more. Poketo was awarded the Edge Award by the Los Angeles Design Festival for positive community impact.


Our first book, Creative Spaces, with Chronicle Books, was published about the homes, studios, and lives of artists, designers, and entrepreneurs. We held a national book tour, hosting discussions with designers in LA, SF, Seattle, Vancouver, Boston, New York, Austin, Denver, and Seoul. We were also invited to speak with corporate teams at Starbucks, Microsoft, and Google. The LA Times featured Ted & Angie’s home, our own creative living space in Los Angeles. 


The global pandemic hits. Angie, Ted, and the small but mighty Poketo team roll up their sleeves and fulfill, pack, and ship all your online orders. Without your outpouring of support, we wouldn’t have survived last year. It was a year of change and reset for Poketo, luckily we were able to pivot quickly, allowing us to forge a sustainable path forward. We were thrilled to finally reopen our shops in Little Tokyo & Row DTLA in July welcoming our customers back in real life.


Poketo designed and produced a big project with the Academy Museum, Los Angeles on stationery, caps, socks, bamboo and glass tabletop, textiles, and more. What’s next? Be assured that we will continue our aim to inspire, to bring joy and art to everyday life, and to uplift our community. Creativity, fun and community has been everything to us this past 18 years, we march on.

ABOUT US

Founded in 2003 by husband-and-wife team Ted Vadakan and Angie Myung, Poketo has grown from a small startup into a creative hub and online destination. A lifestyle brand born out of the desire to infuse art and design into every day,  Poketo creates collections of design-conscious goods to cultivate a creative lifestyle.

The name Poketo (pronounced “poh-keh-toe”) stems from the mispronunciation of “pocket” by Angie’s grandmother. It tied in perfectly with the first product ever created under Poketo: a series of artist wallets that fit right in your pocket—and Ted and Angie just loved the way it sounded.


Poketo has worked with brands and companies like Nike, MTV, Disney, Target, Nordstrom and MailChimp, museums like MOCA, the Guggenheim, the de Young, and SFMOMA, and has collaborated with over 200 international artists, creating exclusive products that reflect its philosophy of “Art for Your Every day.”

In 2019, they've published their debut book, CREATIVE SPACES, a celebration of creatives, their work, and their spaces. With stunning photography, intimate profiles, and unexpected takeaways, the book showcases an eclectic mix of creatives in the spaces that inspire them.

VISIT US

Poketo in Santa Monica