Dollarpalooza

I cannot resist any dollar store but I am absolutely helpless when comes to Japanese dollar stores. So despite my dislike of crowds and Christmas music, when I heard that a new one — Oomomo — just opened up in Don Mills last week, I knew I had to go!

To prevent myself from going too crazy, I prepared a shopping list: tabi socks, fountain pens, and liquid glue (for collaging).

Alas there were no tabi socks. But I did get a comfy blue toque to replace a Muji beanie that I lost.

The stationery section was a delight, filled with so many magical scissors, notebook, tapes and tape dispensers. But these are not things I need. While there were no fountain pens, I did find glue. And I got a brush pen and some air drying clay that I did not need but thought would be fun.

I had more success in the personal grooming section, stocking up on things that I needed to get anyway. By the way, the black earbuds look good in my bathroom. And so far, the Shiseido hand cream is making my hands much less chapped.

We also indulged in some snacks.

The store itself is huge. I don’t know if we saw it all — it was so crowded and the lineup to cash out was so long that it snaked through the aisles making some sections inaccessible. But if you were just starting out, it looked like the perfect place to stock up on inexpensive kitchen supplies and housewares. And while most things were plastic, there was even an area dedicated to pretty porcelain plates and dishes.