Marukai to open in San Diego!
After hearing many rumors of a Marukai that will be opening in San Diego, I finally thought that I'd do a bit of scouting (both on the Internet and on asphalt) to see where this may all take place. Well there seems to be nary a word on the Internet, but a drive around Kearny Mesa quickly turned-up the location: at the south-east corner of Balboa Blvd. and Mercury St., just north of the new Tajima and 1 block north of the Mitsuwa Marketplace.
Now the Marukai's that I'm familiar with in O.C./L.A. follows one of several formats: a market format with varying amounts of dry goods such as kitchen electronics, OTC health products, utsuwa (Japanese plateware), stationary and cosmetics, and usually a small food court. All of these non-produce sections can take up to 1/2 of this format, or as little as 1/5 of the floor space as is the case in Little Tokyo. They also operate a so-called 99-cents store which sells discount and clearance utsuwa, various mingei-hin (folk crafts) and decorative items, stationary, non-perishable food items, and household storage solutions and tools. The third format I've seen is Wa-Raku, which either can be independent storefronts, or otherwise integrated as a "store within a store" into their other formats. Wa-Raku specializes in traditionally-styled Japanese furniture, lighting, and other indoor living items.
The operation that I saw being setup in the new S.D. location was clearly in the 99-cent store format. I drove home a bit more informed, but also a bit disappointed since I was hoping that they would open up a market in S.D. But that was a few days ago.
I just returned from Kearny Mesa tonight after a dinner at Tsuruhashi and decided to take a closer look. How surprised was I to find that all three buildings on this corner, each sizeable buildings in their own right, are part of the new Marukai operation! Somehow I missed noticing that on my previous visit. So how will they use the other 2 buildings? The grocery would be a good guess, but I suspect that they will be really pinched for parking space. And if so would there be a food court, and are there any confirmed tenants? And the third building? It's way too big for a Wa-Raku store, at least the one's that I've seen.
So I was hoping that I could pick up some information out here in the Chow-sphere. Anyone heard of what's "in store" for us in S.D.? And could they afford to use all three buildings for retail with such limited parking?
cgfan
Jul 22, 2007 11:12PM
The SE corner used to be an unfinished furniture store and the parking lot is fairly large. The SW corner is/used to be a mattress store and Adult Bookstore and that lot is fairly small. Which one are you talking about? (the Tajima/In-N-Out side of the street or the Mitsuwa side?) Oh, I'll just drive down that way and see for myself.
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I was referring to the SE (Tajima / In-N-Out side) corner. It'll be OK for their 99 cent store format, which appears to be the first building that they are stocking, but as to the other 2 buildings if they are going to be opening up a grocery it seems that they will be pinched for space, let alone satisfy the needs of the third building should it be used for retail..
Either way I'm happy to see the scale of their commitment to San Diego. I'm not aware of another Marukai that uses three co-located buldings.
BTW here's a link to the satellite image of the lot on Google Maps... http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&h...
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OK. I guess it's because I never have seen that parking lot full even with all the buildings occupied. Since that corner area has been empty for a while (more tha half a year), they probably got a good deal on the rent from the owner/s. Even if parking is nasty, The Mister works just on the other side of the 163. I can park in his work lot and walk over the bridge to shop...
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I heard about this about a week ago, so I emailed Marukai Corp. I'm still waiting for a reply to my email. I'm pretty sure that if a Market is in the works it will be of the membership-type. All of the membership markets have a food court with at least 1 plate lunch style operation, usually a fast food sushi joint, and maybe we'll be lucky and get Beard Papa?
Back home in Hawaii Marukai is a major "brand-name", and I really love being able to get all my local-kine stuffs, and the quality of the fish has always been top notch. After Marukai Costa Mesa opened in 2002, I had been hoping that another move "South" was in the works, and here 5 years later it seems that may be happening.
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I'll be rooting for a Beard Papa concession too, but given that BP moved out of the Gardena Marukai location I'm guessing that their bar is set pretty high and would not see enough of a potential market in S.D. Speaking of local-kine, would love to see a Crack Seed / Aji Ichiban concession open up someday in one of these Asian marketplaces... The crack seed offerings are pretty slim in the SoCal Marukais that I've seen...
I was surprised to find out today that Marukai got its start in Japan. I've always thought that they got their start in Hawaii. From the information on their website it looks like the Japan one came first, to be followed by the Hawaii-based corporate entity, and then finally the L.A.-based corporate entity that covers the SoCal market.
KirkK, you'll have to fill us all in when you hear back from Marukai...
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This is what I got from Marukai:
Dear Valued Customer,
Thank you for contacting us.
We are planning to open San Diego store.
Hopefully non-food section will be open in August 2007 and food section will be in late this year.
We will put our upcoming store information at www.marukai.com.
Again, thank you for contacting us.
We hope see you at our new store soon.
Regards,
Marukai Corporation
Tel: 310-660-6300
Yes, Marukai started up in Japan. My friends Aunt used to work for them - she even told me they had a New York office!
It looks like the Market will be opening up later on in the year.
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When did BP move out of the Gardena Marukai? I was there late last month.
This is very good news, the SD Marukai opening up in August. Yeah!
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Oh, then they must have moved back in. I don't go there very often as the O.C. Marukai is usually enough for this S.D. Chowhound, but the last time I was at the Gardena Marukai the Beard Papa concession was gone! (As you walk into the food court it was the first concession on the right, before you get to the tables.)
Did they perhaps move to another booth in the food court and I just happened to catch them in between the expiration of one lease and the renewal of another? In any case it's good to hear they are back in the Gardena Marukai. Which booth are they in?
And sorry if I may have misled anyone... I just assumed that they were gone for good...
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If I recall accurately, the BP was on the left side of the food court aisle, maybe three booths in? They weren't right at the front, so yeah, it sounds like they moved. BTW, I didn't think their cream puff was near as good as the one I had in San Francisco last November. Mushy puff and loaded with cream, bleh, no balance.
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I would love to see an Aji Ichiban open up here too. I still remember wandering through one the last time we were in Honolulu.
Cgfan, I don't know if you saw my post from a week or two ago--I stumbled upon Fugestu-Do in LA and had the BEST mochi ever! Thanks for your recs!
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daantaat, sorry but I seemed to have missed your post, that is, until now! I just found it and replied...
Glad you got a chance to go; it's an excellent, as well as historic, shop. (Well, at least historic in a SoCal way...)
Believe it or not there actually used to be an Aji Ichiban cart just east of the cineplex on the 2nd floor of Mission Valley Center. If you're ever up in the L.A. area again, there's a good-sized Aji Ichiban in San Gabriel in the Focus shopping center, one of the larger SoCal Chinese malls.
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Just a little update: I was just checking Marukai's website and saw that they had already posted the Grand Opening Flyer for the new location. It looks like the Daiso building will open first on Thursday, August 23, the Marukai dry goods store somtime in September, and finally the Marukai Market sometime in October. Too bad the Market will be opening up last!
Here's a link to the Marukai San Diego grand opening flyer: http://www.flickr.com/gp/95609303@N00...
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Actually, you could have gone in today...That whole "Grand Opening" thing is when the major publicity will be out.
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Thanks for the info, Cathy! I was just in the area for lunch earlier today; too bad I didn't leave Convoy to take a peek!
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I went on Saturday and had great fun in the "$1.50 or higher store". There were a few parking spots available but now can see when the other two places open, how there will be no place to park, if for no other reason, the employee parking...There was a flyer with the current Murakai food (member only) sales and I can't wait! Definitely will park at The Mister's work parking lot and walk.
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I drove by at about 1:10 today (Tuesday)-only 6 cars in front parking lot. Go now! Although I bought up a lot of the store already.... :)
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Do you have to speak Japanese to shop or eat there?
:)
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Not at all; I'm sure you will find that the entire staff speaks and understands English. But do keep in mind that the only building currently open for business is for Daiso, the 100 yen store transplant from Japan. The Marukai "lifestyle and living" store will open sometime in September in the middle building, and their (membership) market will open sometime in October in the 3rd building closest to Balboa Ave...
The basic layout at Daiso is this: all prices and product labels are marked just as they would be in Japan. Any item that is not marked is considered 100 yen, and all exceptions will be price marked in yen. For their purposes in computing the price in USD, every 100 yen is charged at $1.50. Which means that virtually all of their stock are items that sell for $1.50, as there is little that is tagged above 100 yen.
While most items there will be self-explanatory, those who do not read Japanese may find it occasionally entertaining just trying to figure out what some of the gadgets on offer are designed for.
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I went to that fateful street corner again on Friday, because it is so much more fun than the 99ยข Only store.
The furniture store will have a soft opening this week and the food store will "hopefully" be open by the New Year.... <sigh>
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I'll be writing about this shortly, but I've been to Marukai three times, each time hoping that they would a) stock their shelves, b) turn down the frosty air conditioning and c) have something special to show that makes them a stand out from neighbors Mitsuwa and Nijiya, not to mention Zion across Balboa. Unfortunately, I find the market a complete disappointment as did my friend Mineko Moreno, who teaches Japanese cooking at Great News and other places and who I brought along on one of my expeditions.
The rice shelves are seriously understocked as is the produce. Most of the fish is frozen. They have a small section of prepared sushi that is underwhelming. Other shelves in the store have gaping holes where product should be and it's not because people are flocking in and wiping them out. I don't think more than half a dozen people have been inside shopping at any of the times I've been there.
I don't understand why the company would bother to open a market so close to several very good markets and make so little effort. I don't think there's anything there you can't get at Nijiya or Mitsuwa and then get so much else besides at the latter two.
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One of the strongest features of their O.C. store that has remained true even in the smaller format of their S.D. store is their incredible selection of high quality beef. Not only can you find plenty of U.S.D.A. Prime to choose from, they have continued to source both domestic and imported Wagyu beef, much of it "above prime". This is the province of the BMS grades, the Japanese beef grading system where a BMS 5 is the equivalent to USDA Prime - and the BMS scale goes all the way to 12! (The highest USDA marbling score, "Abundant", is the equivalent of a BMS 7...) (Jeffrey Steingarten has some interesting insights into the impact of our grading system in his excellent essay, "High Steaks".)
At the extremes we're talking about beef so abundantly and evenly marbled that at its best it begins to take on the more pastel colors of a cloudy pink.
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