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Kansas City’s first Daiso recently opened in the metro, offering Japanese goods at a discounted price.

The Olathe store, 14673 W 119th St., is also Daiso’s first in Kansas. When it opened, it drew lines out the door.

First-time customers may notice that the cult-favorite offers unique products, as well as a special pricing system that may not be intuitive.

Consider this your comprehensive Daiso shopping guide: Here’s everything you’d want to know before visiting.

The Olathe Daiso is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. On Sundays, it’s open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

It’s located in the Olathe Pointe shopping center and neighbors Marshalls & Homegoods.

Daiso sells a wide range of products — everything from Japanese sodas to plushies to face rollers.

Many of their products are either Daiso brand or sister concept Threeppy.

Its sections include kitchen tools, decor, food products, makeup, fashion accessories, stationery, baby items and more.

Daiso also offers a wide selection of Sanrio character merchandise. The Japanese cartoon brand created Hello Kitty, who is seen throughout the store on items like rice molds, ramen and pencil holders.

It sells a variety of Japanese snacks: ramen, seaweed, chips, cookies, milk bread, etc.

A vast majority of the store — about 80% according to area manager Doug Tally — is priced at $2.25.

Items that are $2.25 do not have price tags. The rest are priced in Japanese yen, but signs around the store help customers convert the price into U.S. dollars.

Daiso prides itself on affordability, as well as durability.

“I think you’ll find that the quality of our products is all very strong,” Tally told The Star. “It’s probably the most popular convenience store in Japan, so we’re just getting started in the United States.”

The brand — which has been in Japan since 1977 — now has over 200 stores in the U.S. (It’s in other other countries, too: Thailand, China, Canada, South Korea and more.)

The store is looking to expand its presence in the Midwest and will open another in September at the 10 Quivira Plaza shopping center in Shawnee.

Divya Chainni, a store manager from Houston who came to help with the Olathe spot’s grand opening, said it’s growing rapidly in the U.S.

“There’s an opening every week,” she said.

Meanwhile, Daiso recently opened two stores in the St. Louis area.

This story was originally published June 6, 2025 at 12:06 PM.

Longtime Olathe residents likely remember the little red-and-white drive-in at 435 S. Parker St.

First opening in 1963, it was a franchise of Tastee Freez, which boasts to be the “original” soft serve ice cream company. It changed names and hands a few times: becoming Tastee Treat, then Tastee Foodz, which closed a few years ago.

But more than a month ago, Michaela Krueger saw the old space’s “for sale” sign and thought it would be the perfect place for a new European-style cafe — much like the one where she fell in love with now-husband Luka Pivk.

The couple plans to open Dolce Caffè in July, transforming the 60s-style burger joint into a modern, elegant espresso bar serving European coffee and pastries.

With gluten-free, hand crafted pastries and European espresso, it won’t be your run-of-the-mill Kansas City coffee shop.

“We’re bringing a taste of Europe to Olathe,” Pivk said.

The pair plan to serve coffee from Austrian brand Julius Meinl and scratch-made scones, croissants and other bakery items. They hope Dolce will be a restful environment for the community to connect.

The shop’s motto is the Italian phrase “dolce far niente.” (In English, that’s “the sweetness of doing nothing.”)

European coffee has some taste differences than what one might find in the U.S. For one, it’s meant to be enjoyed without sweeteners and syrups. (But don’t worry, American coffee-lovers, they’ll still have add-ins for you, too.)

“European coffeehouses are typically a lot about quality … The espresso is just different and stronger,” Krueger said. “It’s just way better.”

Krueger, a born and raised Midwesterner who’s been in corporate America for the past 17 years, tasted said espresso after deciding to take a vacation to Croatia last summer.

It was there, in a Croatian cafe, that she met Pivk. He was slinging espresso.

The two hit it off, and several cups of coffee later, he agreed to come to the United States to visit her.

“He just never left,” Krueger said, laughing.

Pivk also runs a digital marketing company, but he’s excited about being back behind a coffee bar. The space will have nods to several different European countries, not just Croatia.

“I want to have the most known coffee shop on social media in Kansas City,” Pivk said.

Inside, the Dolce will seat about 20 to 30 people. There will be extra seating outside, including a terrace the couple is planning to build. For on-the-go orders, it will offer curbside pickup.

Aesthetic-wise, it’ll follow a Greek and Italian-style: clean, white and modern.

Pivk emphasized a desire to provide comfortable seating in the space.

“We really want to be a space where people can have conversation and connect,” Krueger said. “But we also know people want convenience.”

The Olathe community has already noticed whispers of something happening along Parker Street. Those who the couple has talked to are thrilled to hear they’re bringing life back into the space.

“Our plumber and our electrician, they’re all like, ‘Oh my gosh, we used to ride our bike here,’” Krueger said.

Though it’s undergoing a major transformation, the couple wants to keep one nod to Dolce’s former life.

Its menu will include a cold brew float. They’re calling it “An Ode to Tastee Treat.”

It’s been a few days since Daiso has opened in Olathe, but that hasn’t slowed curious customers down.

Some come to the Japanese discount superstore looking for specific items that aren’t easily found in the U.S. Others have seen the hubbub on TikTok and wanted to be in-the-know.

Carly Bowden saw a social media post and came in looking for Hello Kitty-themed items for her sister-in-law’s birthday. (There’s no shortage of Kitty, and other Sanrio characters, at Daiso.)

She lives near the new store at 14673 W. 119th St.

“Opening day the line was really long, so I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what is this?’” Bowden said. “I have traveled a lot, and I just love the fact that it’s things from the other side of the world.”

The brand originated in Japan in 1977 but has held a presence in the United States for close to two decades. It’s in other other countries, too: Thailand, China, Canada, South Korea and more.

Daiso has more than 200 stores in the U.S., with many in Texas and California, but it’s looking to expand its Midwest presence.

“There’s an opening every week,” said Divya Chainni, a store manager from Houston who came to help with the Olathe location’s grand opening.

The brand also recently entered the St. Louis market.

Soon, it’ll open its second Kansas location in Shawnee in the 10 Quivira Plaza shopping center at Shawnee Mission Parkway and Quivira Road. (An exact address has not been assigned.) That store’s opening date is mid-September.

The shop carries a wide range of products: home goods, makeup, Japanese snacks, stationery, fashion accessories and more.

A few examples: Hello Kitty ramen, a large selection of chopsticks, Disney character-themed dishware, animal plush pillows and face masks.

Chainni said the store’s breads and snack cakes are especially popular.

“It sells out as soon as we get it,” she said.

If an item isn’t marked with a price tag, like about 80% of the store, it’s $2.25. The rest are listed in yen (Japanese currency), but price conversion signs on each aisle list prices in U.S. dollars.

Area manager Doug Talley said that, while the items are fairly cheap, customers don’t have to feel like they’re compromising.

“I think you’ll find that the quality of our products is all very strong,” he said. “It’s probably the most popular convenience store in Japan, so we’re just getting started in the United States.”

This story was originally published June 3, 2025 at 3:44 PM.