Elgin adds a dash of Tokyo
By Amy Yee
A new store in Centretown is bringing a taste of Japanese culture into the Ottawa market.
Tokyo Shop, located at 258 Elgin St., opened its doors on Jan. 11.
The enterpise is an independent Japanese-styled dollar store, based on the popular 100-yen shops in Japan. It’s the first of its kind to open in this city.
One hundred Japanese yen is equal to about $1.15 Canadian.
Lined with aisles of colourful stationery, snacks, homeware and beauty products, the majority of items in the Ottawa shop are priced at $2.25, with some products going up to $3.75.
Japanese chain retailers have previously launched in Canada, but stuck to markets with higher Asian populations than Ottawa.
Recently, popular lifestyle and clothing Japanese chains Muji and Uniqlo both opened in downtown Toronto, one of the world’s most diverse cities.
Daiso, a major retailer with a network of Japanese dollar stores, has more than 2,680 shops located across Asia.
The store has also had success in the U.S., with 68 stores spread across California, Texas and Washington.
The sole Daiso store in Canada is located in Richmond, B.C., a Vancouver-area city that’s home to the largest proportion of residents of Asian descent in North America.
More than 50 per cent of the population has Asian roots.
But Norman Wu, manager of Tokyo Shop, said that the Ottawa store’s target market encompasses customers of all racial backgrounds.
“It’s not exclusively for the Asian Canadians,” he said. “All products are designed for all ethnic groups.”
“A lot of customers, I would say over 80 per cent, (are) Caucasian.”
The store differentiates itself from North American retailers such as Dollarama and Dollar Tree with its unique products, Wu said.
“We have a better design, better quality,” he said. “And some of our products you can’t find at Dollarama — say chopsticks or Japanese rice bowls.”
Other unique products include eyebrow razors (to speed up the plucking job), roller erasers (used to clean up eraser particles), hand masks (a set of disposable gloves to moisturize) and face rollers (to massage and contour.)
The products’ designs also set them apart from other retailers, said Wu.
“Because the pens or notebooks were made in Japan, designed in Japan, they are very cute and adorable,” he said.
For some, said Wu, the opening of Tokyo Shop is a welcome and long-awaited development.
“Many customers say, ‘Well, I’ve been expecting this kind of shop for a long time,’” he said. “Because they have been to the states, and to Daiso. And they think, ‘It would be nice for Ottawa to have a store like this.’ ”
The store has been busy since its opening due to high pedestrian traffic in the area and its proximity to office buildings and restaurants, said Wu.
White-collar workers from nearby offices have quickly become regulars, said sales associate Xuan Chu.
“The peak hour is usually after work,” she said. “People walk by and they know, they see it’s very popular.”
Though it’s only been open a month, Wu said he already has plans to expand from the original store.
“I see a good potential for Tokyo Shop in Ottawa, and we are thinking to expand across Ontario and even Canada-wide.”
Wu said they plan to open up more stores in Ottawa, as well, and are looking to occupy retail space in shopping malls.
Customers have already come back to the store for return visits and have recommended it to friends and family, said Wu.
That was how Shaunese Hoek, a shopper at the store, heard about it.
“We were just driving home the other day, and (my friend) just pointed it out,” she said.
“I kind of like Japanese things, they’re cute and fun. I thought it would just be fun to take a look around.”
Hoek said she’s been to similar stores in Toronto, but is happy to see one open up in Ottawa.