Mer's Profile

I do a lot of work in Taipei and Tokyo and have been visiting Muji there for ages. I haven't visited the store in New York yet, but I look forward to seeing what they've decided to bring and what they've decided to leave off. I have Muji dishes and utensils, bath salts and umbrellas, and even a suitcase or two (I have treated none of these items as disposable, just fyi--all have come into my home for the long haul). I have always been impressed with the quality of the items relative to their price points in Asia, which are probably slightly lower than here. The thing about the stores in Japan and Taiwan, however, is that they often have cafes and a small supermarket area--the flagship in Tokyo, for instance, has always been more a place to spend some time hanging out than a place you'd just run into for an item or two (not that this doesn't also happen, of course). In any case, I agree that there's been a bit too much hype here--Muji is more or less ubiquitous in East Asia and was only really considered a super special place when it first opened.

All that said, I look forward to seeing what they've brought here for clothes. I often love the designs (and especially the shoes!) at the stores in Taipei, but my big American butt rarely fits!