If you missed the Hello Kitty Bus when drove through the Bay Area earlier this month, don't worry—a brick-and-mortar cafe devoted to the iconic Japanese brand opens Friday in San Jose.
Yes, that's right: The Hello Kitty Mini Cafe is your opportunity to scoop of saccharine treats—including cat-tastic pies, tarts, cookies, and pastries—hot and cold teas and espresso drinks, as well as branded figurines, plush toys, and more.
Opening June 22nd. the cafe is currently intended as a limited run experiment at Santana Row, which has served as a testing for other Hello Kitty pop-up concepts in the past, attracting literally tens of thousands of die-hard HK devotees in mere days.
"We have seen great success and high demand from fans of all ages enjoying the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck, Pop-Up Container and Mini Cafe concepts," said David Marchi, VP of Brand Management and Marketing at Sanrio, in a press release.
But keep your hopes up: "The residency at Santana Row is separate from any future plans Sanrio might be exploring for a permanent café location in Northern California."
And being that there's already a warmly received and always crowded permanent shop in L.A.'s Westfield Santa Anita, there's reason to be optimistic.
The first 50 customers to pass through the neon-pink-framed glass doors will receive free food and drink with merchandise purchase. // Hello Kitty Mini Cafe, 3055 Olin Ave., Ste. 1010 (San Jose), sanrio.com
