LOS ANGELES -- Every time Celia Winstead and her husband Jim walk by the new Famima!! convenience store in their downtown Los Angeles neighborhood, they throw up their hands and yell, Famima!!
That's because the Japanese c-store import has not one, but two exclamation points in its name. The push' and pull' on the doors even have exclamation points, she told CSP Daily News.
Winstead, a screenwriter and self-proclaimed hipster, said Famima!! made a splash in L.A. when the stores first opened last year, inspiring blog writers to [image-nocss] pine about the special Japanese-made treats they could not find anywhere else in the city.
For c-store industry observers following the entry of the Japanese convenience retailer into the U.S. market, Winstead provides a unique perspective. A woman of Filipino descent, Winstead falls into a demographic that seems to have raised the c-store chain into virtual iconic status: that of urban chic, transcending the chain's ethnic flavor into the mainstream.
What follows is a Q & A session with Winstead about her genuine enthusiasm for all things Famima!!
CSP: How did you first hear about Famima!!?
Winstead: I heard a lot about it from friends when we were picnicking at the Hollywood Bowl. They said it was a Japanese convenience store that had cutesy stuff. Since I love Hello Kitty [a popular Japanese cartoon and merchandise mascot], I wanted to go.
CSP: And what was your reaction when you first went?
Winstead: They had all these snacks that were different and yummy. They had what they called Zebra popcorn that has both caramel and white popcorn; instead of hot dogs they had bao [cooked meat wrapped in a doughy bun]; and a cake called Whole Lotta Banana that's bananas and whipped cream all rolled up and dipped in chocolate.
CSP: Do you think you'd go back? If so, why?
Winstead: Regular convenience stores don't have anything I want, but this one had all this great stuff that I can't get anywhere else.
CSP: How would you describe the clientele?
Winstead: It's more upscale. I don't think it's defined by age or gender. More of those in a certain income bracket and people I'd call early adopters. They're people who like to say, I've got a secret new place to go. It's different.
CSP: Why do you think it translates beyond its Japanese-inspired roots?
Winstead: It's like Sawtelle street on the west side of L.A., where there's block after block of Japanese stores. It was pretty much an ethnic area. Then all of a sudden, Giant Robot [a toy and general-merchandise store] came in and made the street hipper and cool. It really just took hold, starting with the hipsters, it just spread. With Famima!!, the L.A. blogs began saying, We just got a Famima!! I know of a real estate agent who has on her blog that a new condo development is going to have a Famima!! Who does that for 7-Eleven?
[See related story in this issue of CSP Daily News.]
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