MUJI is on the verge of opening its first store in the United States. The Japanese retailer, whose original name meant "No Brand Quality Goods", is opening up a 2,000 square foot location on Broadway. Since we visited last week, the store has taken the protective covering off and stocked its shelves. Gothamist stopped by this morning for a preview.
We can already say that one of the biggest issues is going to be sizing. As we mentioned earlier this week, the store will not be using its clothing made for Japan, but the line for its European stores, which has customers more similar to Americans. We overheard one person inquiring about shoes saying, "is the largest size you have 9.5?" In addition to standard MUJI accessories, the store also features some furniture. The larger pieces like beds, couches, mattresses, can be delivered to all of New York City and some of New Jersey.
If you're wondering, here's a very small price comparison between MUJI SoHo prices and the MUJI store at MoMA. Pen/Pencil: $3.50 at MUJI, $4 at MoMA ($3.20 for members); Acrylic Pots: $3.25 at MUJI, $3.50 at MoMA ($2.80 for members). Verdict (based on this small sample) - if they carry the product at MoMA, it's going to be more expensive unless you're a member. Of course, the MoMA store doesn't have nearly as many MUJI items.
As we left, there was already a small line of people outside the store.
MUJI SoHo is located at 455 Broadway and opens today at noon; More photos and a slideshow after the jump
