Japan’s One Piece Chain Plans First US Store

A One Piece Mugiwara store, selling merch associated with a popular Japanese manga tale, will soon open its first U.S. locale. Slated to debut this fall in the Westfield Century City shopping/dining/entertainment destination in Los Angeles, the store will be operated by Toei Animation Co. Ltd. (Tokyo), which has similar stores in several major Japanese cities.

Created by Eiichiro Oda, the “One Piece” manga series about a high-seas quest debuted in 1997, in Weekly Shonen Jump, a popular manga magazine. The “Mugiwara” in the store’s name is the Japanese word for Straw Hat pirates, who play a major role in the sprawling “One Piece” series.

The LA flagship will sell exclusive apparel, life-sized character goods, limited-edition art and rare collectibles. It will offer feature an original in-store video created exclusively for the store that’s currently in production.

The One Piece store is the latest so-called “kidult” collectibles retail concept to enter the U.S. market; others include the Miniso and Pop Mart chains.