It's been almost a decade since Canberrans started requesting that "Japanese wonderland" Daiso open in the capital.
But the wait is finally over, with the store opening its first Canberra store at Westfield Belconnen - in the space formerly held by Howard's Storage World - at 10am on Saturday.
Since launching in Japan more than 50 years ago, Daiso has become somewhat of a cult favourite, with products such as the puff sponge detergent - used for cleaning make-up sponges - and the touchscreen gloves expected to fly off the shelves when the store opens its doors.
"It really has been a long time coming," Daiso general manager Jennifer Hansen said.
"The fact we've had messages coming from Canberrans since 2015 - I did actually search to find the first request we got - is amazing.
"We've actually invited those people who have been requesting us to come for a first look on Friday before we open.
"But we're so glad that we found this space and certainly want to try and look for other locations here in Canberra."
For the uninitiated, what is so attractive about Daiso is the price and the range.
The store is famous for pricing almost everything - including home goods, beauty, stationary, food, toys, you name it - at $3.30. Although, this has risen since it first arrived in Australia from $2.80.
The key with the pricing, however, is the "almost everything" caveat. Some items fall under the $6, $8 or $10 range.
And with their Westfield Belconnen neighbours Kmart also within walking distance, those looking for a bargain on everyday items may want to shop around.
A shower puff, for example, is $3.30 at Daiso, but $2 at Kmart, while an umbrella is $8 at Daiso and $15 at Kmart. And that's not even taking into consideration The Reject Shop and other dollar-type stores within the centre.
But Daiso also has items that Australian customers wouldn't be able to find elsewhere, the Japanese food section with items such as dried cherry tomatoes and roasted green peas, being one of the most obvious examples of this. But there are also chair socks, sushi stamps and cushion-cross-slipper designed to keep your feet warm under your desk.
The items that can be found elsewhere, usually fit the "kawaii" or cute aesthetic.
"Daiso's strength is in their products and their product creation," Ms Hansen said.
"We all know the Japanese are very inventive about problems and innovation, and we sell over 75,000 item ranges every year.
"Whatever is not here is probably a shorter list than what is here."
Daiso roots reach back to 1972 when Hirotake Yano opened his first street vending shop in Japan, selling products for 100 Yen. He then founded Daiso in 1977 and now has more than 5500 stores across the globe. Thirty-nine of those are in Australia.
The Japanese version of the store is still a 100 Yen store in Japan. The Australian prize factors in exchange rates and shipping.
"We are trying to keep it as $3.30 for as long as we can," Ms Hansen said.
Daiso will open at 10am on Saturday, with the first 100 customers receiving a $10 voucher, and other random giveaways throughout the day.
"We are excited to welcome Canberra's first Daiso store to Westfield Belconnen, delivering an international retailer to our customers and continuing to evolve the brands and experiences on offer," Westfield Belconnen centre manager Dale Lawrence said.
"We look forward to welcoming customers across their launch weekend to celebrate, and know they will enjoy the festivities."
