May Lynn Chan has a lust for cuteness. Five years ago, the San Francisco native opened Chamalyn, a store that brings Japanophiles and Missionites together through a union of coconut and pineapple jelly tea, imported sushi erasers and pumpkin Pocky. The shop is only about a hundred square feet and tucked away around the corner of Nineteenth and Valencia Streets in the Mission District, but the store's collection of assorted Japanese imports has grown tremendously over the past five years. Business is modest, but Chan couldn't be happier. The bright colors in her store make any day less gloomy. She works there every day, enjoying temporary ownership of her store's collection of Japanese imports.

"I'm a person who likes to look at cute stuff," she says.

Influenced by the whimsical presentation of colors and characters of the two-story Sanrio store she visited as a child in Union Square, the twenty-eight-year-old decided to open Chamalyn. Chamalyn, which has been in business for the past five years, reflects her bright demeanor, doe-eyed gaze and eagerness to welcome customers. The store's name is an abbreviation of her own (Chan May Lynn--Chamalyn) coined by her boyfriend, who helped her open the store. In the same way that the Sanrio store's bright colors brought her joy, Chan wants her store to cheer up customers that may come in with low spirits.

Her personality is as bright as the yellow walls of her store. She speaks eagerly in a soft tone that complements her hundred-watt smile. She wears a pink Paul Frank sweater dotted with hearts, and she listens to mainstream pop music while surfing the web behind the counter.

Once Chan graduated from SF State with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry, her parents said she could do whatever she wanted with her life. So she invested her leftover college fund in the stock market and made several grand off Marvel Comics. She took the money to open the store.

Instead of accepting whatever wholesalers from Japan offer, she's very selective of her merchandise. Right now she's in China, scouring the country for new goodies for her store. She chooses every single item with the finesse of a nostalgic toy collector, handpicking each based on color and personal appeal.

One particular item Chan carries has been a blessing to out-of-state miniature figurine collectors: miniature accessories perfect for Barbie or Blythe (a Japanese fusion of Barbie and Bratz). She has over seventy-five out-of-state customers that order items from her through eBay or visit her store. They are mostly women in Canada and Arizona with disposable incomes, who often enlist their reluctant husbands to assist with their doll photo shoots for display on photo sharing sites like Flickr.

"My out-of-state miniature customers are my most stable--they know what they want," she says.

If you're in the area, check out Chamalyn on 19th and Valencia Streets in San Francisco.

contact: jpark@sfsu.edu | Miss Park still hasn't tried the Men's Pocky and thinks watching reality television is just too good to pass up.