The World's First Store Where Time is the Only Currency

Sep. 22, 2025

The Swedish scent startup Koyia is rethinking the future of retail. Their first physical store is not located on a high street or in a shopping mall, but deep inside a forest. And it doesn’t accept credit cards, cash, or even mobile pay. The only valid currency here is time.

The Swedish scent startup has opened a fully automated store deep in the forest, where visitors pay by spending 599 seconds in the perfumery. A simple phone scan starts the countdown, and when time is up, the system automatically gives access to a scent oil. What normally costs 599 SEK online instead costs 599 seconds of presence.

Koyia calls it a prototype for the store of the new age – a retail model that doesn’t push instant consumption but instead uses tech to rewire value systems.

Ylva Nestmark, co-founder of Koyia said:

"We believe the next generation of retail won’t just be about transactions, but about systems that create real value for people and the planet. By letting time replace money, we’re testing how technology can make commerce more sustainable."

 

A Store Built on Slow Tech and backed by science

Open 24/7 and completely unmanned, the forest store is as simple as it is radical. A QR code, a timer, and an automated scent release are the only tech layers needed to flip the script on retail.

Behind the innovation lies a simple principle backed by science: after 10 minutes in nature, stress levels decrease, focus improves, and the body enters recovery mode. By hardwiring this effect into the purchase experience, Koyia combines biotech insights, design thinking, and retail technology to create a new model for wellness-oriented commerce.

Nature Meets Innovation

These “slow down scents” are truly one of a kind – functional scent oils enriched with phytoncides that bring nature and innovation together. Derived from Scandinavian spruce tips, they capture the natural compounds of phytoncides proven to ease stress and support well-being.

Set in its natural surroundings, the store has no street address — it’s found instead by GPS coordinates (57°16'08.3"N 14°10'45.6"E). For those who want to extend the experience, there’s even a nearby treehouse, Tallkotten, available on Airbnb.

A Glimpse of Future Retail

Koyia’s forest store is not just a retail experiment – it’s a glimpse into a different future. A space where the act of shopping shifts from transaction to transformation. Or, as co-founder Therése Bohlén Kinn puts it: “What if the future of shopping wasn’t about consuming more – but consuming better?”