There’s no denying the appeal of a cute whiskered face.
Hello Kitty received a celebrity’s welcome Friday as the Sanrio character’s first branded namesake cafe in Northern California opened at Westfield Valley Fair.
By 9 a.m., at least 500 people — of all ages — were already waiting in line at the San Jose/Santa Clara mall. Hundreds of others followed throughout the day. More long lines are expected today and Sunday for the meet-and-greets and selfies with Hello Kitty that will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Fans are expected to line up again today and Sunday to meet and take selfies with Hello Kitty. Hours, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
By 9 a.m., at least 500 people — of all ages — were already waiting in line at the San Jose/Santa Clara mall. Hundreds of others followed throughout the day. More long lines are expected today and Sunday for the meet-and-greets and selfies with Hello Kitty that will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The first in line was Mark Frye, 49, who showed up almost a day early — at 2 p.m. Thursday — in hopes of scoring the “first customer” gift of an afternoon tea experience for his daughter and niece. “The HK manager was very awesome and welcoming. That was cool.”
He had taken Ashlyn and Emilia to the Hello Kitty pop-up shop at Santana Row a few years ago, “so they were both excited for this new permanent store to finally open.”
Attired in Hello Kitty fashion, Emily Carrasco, of San Jose, arrived early enough to do some shopping. (Bay Area News Group)
Valley Fair security shooed him away around 10. “I came back into the mall around 6 a.m. when the doors were finally open again.”
Also showing up early was Emily Carrasco, 19, who was decked out in Kitty gear she had purchased during HK cafe truck visits to the Bay Area. She waited in line from 8:30 a.m. and managed to buy a bag of goodies — macarons, a jumbo decorated cookie and more — and get a little swag.
What’s the appeal? Because her mother loves the character, “I grew up with Hello Kitty,” Carrasco explained.
Although creator Sanrio describes Hello Kitty as an 8-year-old third-grader, the character has been around for 50 years, which explains the appeal to multiple generations.
At 2 months old, Alaya Kamal may have been the youngest Hello Kitty fashionista at Friday’s grand opening. (Bay Area News Group)
The youngest fan in attendance may have been Alaya Kamal, just 2 months old but already styling in her stroller. She was outfitted in a Hello Kitty onesie with Kitty barrettes in her wispy hair.
Parents Eli and Cianna Kamal arrived too late to beat the lines Friday. However, they’ll be back soon. “I just made reservations for The Bow Room for the 21st,” Eli said.
As for Frye, he did score the tea party gift for Ashlyn, now 18, and Emilia, now 14, though the long hours on Thursday and Friday devoted to the task left him pretty exhausted.
“But hearing I was a great dad about 10 to 15 times last night and this morning made it all worthwhile,”
Details: The hours for the Hello Kitty Cafe are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. The cafe is located on the second floor of Westfield Valley Fair, at the Bloomingdale’s end of the mall. 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., San Jose. Reservations: www.sanrio.com/blogs/hellokittycafe/hello-kitty-cafe-santa-clara
From left to right, Cassandra Manriquez enjoys a tea party with her sister Maria Manriquez and her mother, Yasmine Manriquez, all from Roseville, in The Bow Room at the Hello Kitty Cafe at Westfield Valley Fair in Friday, July 11.(Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
