Hundreds turn out to be dazzled by Daiso in Downtown Summerlin
Hundreds lined up early Saturday morning for the opening of a popular Japanese discount store in Summerlin.
Daiso, known for selling most items at $1.75, opened the doors of its second Las Vegas location to cheering fans eager for more products, potentially closer to their Las Vegas homes.
Kevin Castaneda, 27, started the line at 6 a.m., four hours before the store was scheduled to open. He often looks for products online from Daiso and Don Quijote, which is also a Japanese discount store.
“I’m glad we’re seeing a bit more Japanese stores,” he said just before Daiso opened in Downtown Summerlin. “If we can’t get to the country, at least we can get some of their businesses.”
Danny and Lauren Frixione drove to California on Thursday to shop at Daiso. Although they have visited the other Las Vegas location, near the 215 Beltway and South Rainbow Boulevard, they said they prefer the wider variety at the California stores.
“I’m hoping for more items because people can go to either store now,” said Danny Frixione, 26. “We have options now. I don’t have to fight scalpers anymore.”
The sisters will likely spend more time at the new location because of their friend, Jeanie Tang, of North Las Vegas, who lives closer to the Summerlin store. Tang drove to California last month to visit a few Daiso stores.
“One of the main things in wanting to come all the way out here is we want see what it looks like inside when it’s fully stocked,” Tang said.
The trio commented immediately on how much bigger the new location felt compared with the Arroyo Crossing one.
Throughout Saturday morning, hundreds walked through rows of neatly aligned products, searching for gardening tools, plush toys, cleaning supplies, baking molds and food while the line grew outside the door.
“Las Vegas is such a huge town and we have so many cultures, and it’s like how did we not already have Daisos?” said Lauren Frixione, 23. “Especially in the Chinatown area where there’s already more shops opening that are Japanese and Korean-style.”
Joe Martin was hoping to replace the dishes he bought 20 years ago at a Daiso while stationed in Japan for the Air Force. His middle son, Josiah, 16, was born in Japan but his youngest son, 14-year-old Joaquin, had never experienced Japanese culture outside of their home.
“We’re going to get back there eventually,” Martin said.
The store, located at 11035 Lavender Drive, Suite 110, opened nearly 10 minutes early, with a line wrapping around the block.
As it did on Saturday, Daiso will give a free goodie bag to the first 100 customers making a minimum $30 purchase on Sunday morning.
Operations Manager Shushei Geshi said Daiso has already signed leases for five more locations in Las Vegas, with a Henderson store scheduled to open by the end of the year.
Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.
