Daiso, which describes itself as “Japan’s number one ranking livingware supplier”, opened a Berkeley outpust on Telegraph two weeks ago, taking over a retail space which had been vacant for a couple of years.
If you’re a fan of Japanese goods — be it stationery, ceramics or household gadgets — you will like this store. If you’re a fan of pretty much everything costing $1.50, you’ll love it even more.
The large shop, at 2383 Telegraph at Durant, is bursting at the seams with stock, including the beautiful (delicate origami paper), the functional (bright yellow plastic individual banana holders) and the downright, albeit adorable, kitsch (the chick ceramics pictured above).
Given the wealth of merchandise, and the $1.50 price tag on the majority of it, Daiso has been buzzing with customers every time Berkeleyside has visited. It’s a place that will inevitably be attractive to cash-strapped Cal students, or to anyone in belt-tightening mode (and who isn’t these days?).
Daiso has more than 2,500 stores in Japan and about 550 around the world. There are several in the Bay Area, including one in San Francisco and one in Mountain View. This is its first foray into Berkeley.
