Famima!!
Encyclopedia
Famima!! is a chain of small upscale convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
s based on and owned by FamilyMart
FamilyMart
is a convenience store franchise chain first opened in Japan on September 1, 1981. FamilyMart is Japan's third largest convenience store chain, behind 7-Eleven and Lawson, and the largest chain store in South Korea. FamilyMart is owned and overseen by FamilyMart Company, Limited...
stores of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Founded on September 17, 2004, the stores bring the Japanese model of premium convenience stores targeting the middle and upper level income group of 21 – 41 years of age to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Famima Corporation is currently testing stores on the American consumer segment in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. The company had plans for 30 test stores with 220 additional stores by 2009. However the company's contraction came as quickly as its expansion and has closed many of the original test sites. There were nine active locations as of July 2010 according to the company's website.
Famima!! stores feature upscale design and premium foods, packaging deli style "lunch boxes" (sandwich
Sandwich
A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...
es, panini
Panino
Panini are small, filled, bread rolls, which are sometimes toasted. They are Italian in origin, but now found in other countries.In Italy, panino is the word for a sandwich made with a bread roll. Sandwiches there are customarily made from a roll or loaf of bread, typically a ciabatta or a rosetta...
, sushi
Sushi
is a Japanese food consisting of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients . Neta and forms of sushi presentation vary, but the ingredient which all sushi have in common is shari...
), International and American goods popular in the United States.
A Famima!! store appears in the background in the 2010 film Inception
Inception
Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the band Download.-Track listing:# "Primitive Tekno Jam" – 3:23# "Bee Sting Sickness" – 8:04# "Weed Acid Techno" – 8:19...
.
Locations
All locations are in the Greater Los Angeles areaGreater Los Angeles Area
The Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a term used for the Combined Statistical Area sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County...
.
Current locations:
- Union StationUnion Station (Los Angeles)Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station in Los Angeles, California. The station has rail services by Amtrak and Amtrak California and Metrolink; light rail/subways are the Metro Rail Red Line, Purple Line, Gold Line. Bus rapid transport runs on the Silver Line...
in Downtown Los Angeles - Santa Anita MallWestfield Santa AnitaWestfield Santa Anita, formerly Santa Anita Fashion Park, is a shopping mall in Arcadia, California, owned by the Westfield Group. Its anchor stores are JCPenney, Macy's and Nordstrom. There is also an AMC Theatres multiplex and Dave & Buster's restaurant and entertainment venue.The mall's...
in ArcadiaArcadia, CaliforniaArcadia is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and located approximately northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains.... - Downtown Los AngelesLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
- California PlazaCalifornia PlazaCalifornia Plaza may refer to::*One California Plaza, 300 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles*Two California Plaza, 350 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles*Omni Los Angeles Hotel, 251 South Olive Street, Los Angeles...
- City National PlazaCity National PlazaCity National Plaza is a twin tower high-rise complex located in downtown Los Angeles, California, comprising City National Tower and Paul Hastings Tower...
- 700 Wilshire
- Roosevelt (7th Street at Flower Street)
- Pacific Center (6th Street at Olive Street, near Pershing Square)
- California Plaza
- Hollywood Plaza on Hollywood Blvd. (near Hollywood and HighlandHollywood and HighlandThe Hollywood & Highland Center is a shopping mall and entertainment complex at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in the Hollywood district in Los Angeles. The center also includes Grauman's Chinese Theatre and the Kodak Theatre, home to the Academy Awards. The historic site was once the...
) - Third Street PromenadeThird Street PromenadeThe Third Street Promenade is a public entertainment venue in the downtown area of Santa Monica, California. It is considered a premier shopping and dining district on the Westside and draws crowds from all over Los Angeles County...
in Santa MonicaSanta Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
Former locations:
- Culver Center in Culver CityCulver City, CaliforniaCulver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
(Venice Boulevard at Overland Ave)(24hrs location. closed in October 2011) - ArcadiaArcadia, CaliforniaArcadia is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and located approximately northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains....
- Santa Anita Ave and Live Oak Ave (24hrs location. closed in October 2009) - Fountain ValleyFountain Valley, CaliforniaFountain Valley is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 55,313 at the 2010 census. A classic bedroom community, Fountain Valley is a middle-class residential area.- History :...
- Bushard St. and Warner Ave (24hrs location, closed December 6, 2009) - GlendaleGlendale, CaliforniaGlendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
(closed - date unknown) - 8th & FigueroaDowntown Los AngelesDowntown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
(closed - date unknown) - LakewoodLakewood, CaliforniaLakewood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 80,048 at the 2010 census. It is bordered by Long Beach on the west and south, Bellflower on the north, Cerritos on the northeast, Cypress on the east, and Hawaiian Gardens on the southeast. Major thoroughfares...
- Downey and South Street (24hrs location, closed) - Long BeachLong Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
- 2nd Street in Belmont ShoreBelmont Shore, Long Beach, CaliforniaBelmont Shore is a neighborhood in Long Beach, California. It is home to many shops, restaurants, salons and business offices.-Geography:Belmont Shore spans 2nd Street and Ocean Avenue near the southernmost part of the city between Bluff Park on the west and Naples Island on the East...
(closed as of March 1, 2008) - Los Coyotes Diagonal (closed as of March 1, 2008)
- 2nd Street in Belmont Shore
- PasadenaPasadena, CaliforniaPasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
- Playhouse DistrictPlayhouse District, Pasadena, CaliforniaThe Playhouse District is a neighborhood in Pasadena, California. It is Pasadena's premier entertainment and financial district; the headquarters of IndyMac Bank and Community Bank are headquartered there, and Countrywide Financial keeps an office there....
- Colorado Boulevard (closed effective November 30, 2009) - Old Pasadena - Raymond Avenue and Union Street (closed as of January 2010)
- Playhouse District
- TorranceTorrance, CaliforniaTorrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...
(closed as of May 30, 2008) - West HollywoodWest Hollywood, CaliforniaWest Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood...
(closed as of February 1, 2009)
External links
- Famima!! website
- Andrea Gardner, More than convenient, it's Famima!!, Marketplace (radio program)Marketplace (radio program)Marketplace is a radio program that focuses on business, the economy, and events that influence them. Hosted by Kai Ryssdal, the show is produced and distributed by American Public Media, in association with the University of Southern California...
, May 29, 2006 - Jonathan Gold, All in the Famima!! -- A new convenience-store empire is among us, LA WeeklyLA WeeklyLA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
, September 20, 2006