Daiso has officially arrived in Colorado, opening two stores in Fort Collins and Aurora, with more locations planned for this year. The popular Japanese household goods retailer, known for its affordable prices, offers a range of products, including home decor, kitchenware, beauty products, statione ry and Japanese snacks. “We are beyond excited to bring Daiso to Colorado for the first time,” said Jack Williams, chief retail operations officer for Daiso USA in a news release this month. “Both Fort Collins and Aurora are fantastic communities, and we’ve seen growing demand for our distinctive and value-driven offerings. We can’t wait to introduce our brand to these new customers.” The first Colorado location debuted in Fort Collins at Pavilion Shopping Center on March 15. Shortly after, the second store opened in Aurora’s Village on the Park on March 22, occupying nearly 8,500 square feet of retail space at 2353 S. Havana St. Both stores held two-day grand openings, with customers in Aurora reportedly standing in long lines that stretched around the entire building. Some even waited over four hours to get inside. Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman visited Daiso’s Aurora location, at 2353 S Havana St., on Mar. 23, 2025. He shared a post on Facebook welcoming the store to the area and noted seeing customers waiting in line, wrapping around the entire building. (Photo courtesy of Mike Coffman’s Facebook page) “We’ve been receiving tremendous interest from customers in Colorado, and we’re eager to offer them the Daiso experience,” said John Clarke, chief development officer for Daiso USA. “These two locations are just the beginning of our expansion in 2025. We’re excited to introduce more customers to our special and budget-friendly items.” Store hours for both locations will be Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Daiso will continue to expand its presence in Colorado with other locations, including one in the Cherry Knolls Shopping Center in Centennial, at 6770 S. University Blvd. Several news outlets reported the store is scheduled to open on April 12. Other upcoming stores include a spot at the Southlands Shopping Mall in Aurora, slated for this summer, and a location in Arvada’s Northridge Shopping Center at 7821 Wadsworth Blvd., based on a job listing on their careers page. Representatives for Daiso USA did not respond to requests for comment from The Post regarding exact opening dates. Plush toys are among the items for sale at Japanese retailer DAISO’s recently opened location in Aurora, Colorado, on March 25, 2025. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post) Related Articles Daiso opens first two Colorado stores. Plus: more free and cheap things to do in March Recipe: A ramen that merges Japan and the South Latino-owned small businesses are growing quickly. This Colorado organization is showing them the way. A 40-day Target boycott began this week. What to know about the protest and its potential impact Besides Colorado, Daiso also plans to open more stores this year in 15 other states, including Arizona, California, Texas and Illinois. The idea of Daiso started in March 1972 in Japan when Hirotake Yano opened his first street vending shop, selling 100 Yen products. He later established Daiso in December 1977. Since then, the family-owned company has expanded to over 6,000 stores across the globe, with over 150 of those within the U.S. Daiso entered the U.S. market in October 2005, with its first store in Seattle. The company’s U.S. headquarters is in Anaheim, Calif. Get more business news by signing up for our On The Block newsletter. ...read more read less