NEW TAMPA — Walking into the new Ebisu store isn’t too different than what one might imagine riding a unicorn into a rainbow might be like.
That’s my best attempt at a description.
My son, a Pokemon- and anime-influenced young adult, may have put it better: “It’s like if you took a 15-year-old’s idea of Japan and made it into a store, except that 15-year-old’s only exposure to Japan is through TikTok and anime.”
Sounds about right.
There are pink shopping carts and walls of colorful snacks. Hello Kitty and Pikachu peek out from every corner. Shelves are packed with skincare products, plushies, stationary, kitchen gadgets, anime figures and things you may have absolutely no idea what to do with, but suddenly kind of want.
Then there are the capsule and claw machines. Rows and rows of them.
Welcome to Ebisu, the newest addition to New Tampa and, according to the company, its largest Florida location.
The 21,000-square-foot Asian lifestyle store recently opened at 6234 Commerce Palms Drive in the Market Square at Tampa Palms, bringing an eclectic mix of pop culture, beauty products, collectibles and household goods to New Tampa.
And judging by the crowds roaming the aisles, many with eager and others with just confused looks, plenty of people have been waiting for it.
“If someone wanted to describe it real quick, I would just say like an Asian lifestyle store,” said manager Ergu Li. “Now, we say Asian, but our primary focus is still Japanese products. Around about 80-ish percent I would say is all from Japan.”
It’s like a playful version of Target.
On a recent visit, an older woman pushed one of Ebisu’s bright pink carts through the food aisles, loading up on ramen and other snacks and drinks and, for good measure, a spatula. Across the store, a family of four took turns at a crane game until the oldest daughter finally snagged a white-and-green neon plushie and squealed like she had just hit the jackpot.
There is plenty here capable of separating visitors from their money $3 at a time.
Ebisu has rows of Bandai Gashapon (or, generically, gachapon) capsule machines. You might remember them as gumball machines, plunking a quarter into one with the hopes of landing a treat, a large rubber ball or a fake tattoo on your way out of a grocery store. At Ebisu, it’s more like a wholesome casino, where the buy-in is tokens, which are $3 apiece. Some of the machines, offering little keychains, charms or figurines, will cost you multiple tokens.
The selection is dizzying. Tamagotchi. Hello Kitty. Dragon Ball Z. Digimon. Kirby. And dozens of other characters recognizable to its devoted fans, but a mystery to everyone else.
Beyond the machines, the store feels less like a toy store and more like a pop-culture gallery. There are elaborate Pokémon miniatures with characters such as Pikachu and Gengar posed inside eggs, globes and tiny terrariums. Characters are placed in scenes and tucked inside jars and bottles. Larger anime figures are dramatically posed, while blind boxes offer more gambling: buyers know which collection they are purchasing, but not which character is inside until the box is opened.
But calling Ebisu part toy store would be incorrect. These aren’t really toys. Other than the occasional plushy getting squeezed, the items are meant to be displayed and collected, instead.
“Everyone has their favorite show or favorite genre, so we have a really good balance of everyone that are interested in like that show or that like character itself.,” Li said. “So, we attract people from not just anime, but maybe from video games, or other shows. It’s very broad, but anime is a big driver, though.”
If collectibles aren’t your thing, maybe snacks are. Ebisu’s food aisles are packed with Ramen, candy, cookies, chips and drinks that range from recognizable but with a twist to considerably more adventurous.
Squid jerky, anyone?
While we suggest you dive into some new and unrecognizable offerings, there are more familiar gateway foods to break you into what may be an unfamiliar tasting experience, like the Mochi products, though the texture of the glutinous-rice shell can throw some folks off. Chip Star is essentially Japan’s answer to Pringles, although flavors such as butter and soy sauce distinguish them.
Even American brands get a makeover. Nestle Japan’s Kit Kats come in flavors like matcha latte, orange chocolate and strawberry. There are cheddar-and-jalapeno Cheetos and shelves of Fanta flavors that won’t look familiar.
In Japan, Li said, the appetite for unusual combinations runs much deeper.
“You’ll find even more snacks and chips, tons of different flavors.,” he said. “Especially in Asia, the snack market is very high demand for these special flavors. Things are not just very basic like barbecue chips or just one single flavor itself, but like a mix, or taking a popular dish and turning into a chip flavor.”
Home goods, kitchen products stationery and skin products take up their own zone in the story, and clearly, judging by many of the empty shelves, skin care is a hot seller.
“We get weekly shipments, but right now we’ve been selling out before the next shipment comes,” Li said.
Rows of UV-blocking sun hats promise 99% protection, and even the men’s grooming section is stocked with hairspray, face wash and things you may not even know existed.
Ebisu’s arrival also comes as Asian food and pop culture are becoming increasingly visible around Tampa Bay. The Pokémon card collecting craze is back in full swing, while Korean pop music and television are pushing their way into the American mainstream.
The appetite for Asian pop culture locally isn’t hard to find. In April, K-pop supergroup BTS sold out three shows at Raymond James Syadium, drawing roughly 190,000 people combined.
Just up the road from Ebisu in New Tampa, Lotte Market, a Korean grocery chain, opened to big crowds and continues to fill its parking lot every day with shoppers. And there is already significant buzz over Tampa’s first H Mart, which is being built on Hillsborough Avenue.
Li thinks stores such as Ebisu are catching up to demand that has existed in the area for years.
“With this store and the other Asian stores opening in the area, it’s definitely filling a gap that was very underrepresented,” he said.
Ebisu isn’t a grocery store, an anime shop, a beauty store, an arcade or a housewares story.
It’s a little bit of all of them. And that’s probably the best explanation for bewildered parents, excited young adults and kids and the curious pushing their pink carts from aisle to aisle. They may have no idea what half the stuff is, but that doesn’t appear to stop anyone from buying it.
John C. Cotey is the managing editor of the Tampa Bay Beacons. He can be reached at jcotey@tampabeacon.com.