My Take on Muji Toronto

Muji opened their first Canadian location in Toronto last November. Thanks to some last minute staycation planning, I was able to drive in and see it less than three months later. I'll leave first impressions to my plainspoken 10 year old son, who, within seconds of entering declared, "This place is boring!" Before a fire breathing hipster could burn me, I explained to him that Muji is famous for its dull colour palette and minimalist designs, so it could appear boring on first impression, but a closer look would reveal more of interest. I was right to an extent, but his point of view was understandable considering that kid-friendly products such as 3-D wooden puzzles found on-line in the U.S. were nowhere to be seen in the store.

My first scout around the perimeter of the store revealed nothing I would personally be interested in buying. It was not that the product mix was unappealing, but that my family is already well equipped with linens and kitchen ware. Were we just starting out (and if we lived a little closer), I would be tempted to visit regularly and add an item or two at a time.

The clothing choices were interesting as well, with some low-key yet creative designs catching my eye. Again, I wasn't on a quest for a wardrobe update, so timing was more of an issue than the collection itself.

My only personal disappointment was not being able to see the floor chair they had on their website. I haven't seen a floor chair since I lived in Japan 15+ years ago and was tempted at the thought of adding one in my Japanese room (see post) now that my knees lock up when I try to sit in seiza for extended periods of time. A piece of furniture like this seems best seen in person before purchasing, so the apparent absence from store inventory ensured I would not be springing for any big ticket items.

Not to be deterred, I took a closer look up front and found a nice Made in Japan handkerchief--an under-appreciated product in Canada that I've always carried in my pocket since returning. I also found a cool little notebook that looks like a passport and was ruled with dots on a square grid. It is unique little finds like this that will keep me coming back to Muji and hope they do enough business with locals to keep the doors open between my well-spaced visits.

Even though Muji didn't send my family into a shopping frenzy, it's nice to see a greater variety of retail products available in Canada. The more Asian and European stores we can get like this, the more it will force North American retailers to up their game and offer unique products that express their brand identity and distinguish themselves from competitors.

A Note on Parking

While trying to search out parking information for Muji I encountered sparse advice which was contradictory at that. We found the Atrium underground parkade off of Edward Street to be accessible and convenient. It might seem expensive at $3.75 per half hour, but holiday and weekend prices are capped between $6.50 and $7.50, making it a real deal for downtown Toronto.