I have to preface this by saying that I haven’t done much shopping out of the house over the past six months, so other than regularly scheduled trips to Trader Joe’s, Target and a couple of trips to the Novato Sports Basement, my retail experience as of late has been limited…so maybe that’s why going to the Cost Plus World Market store in Santa Rosa last weekend was like a world tour of international travel!
I felt like Willy Wonka in the Chocolate Factory. Everything was sparkly and new, and everywhere I turned, I saw something I’d never seen before!
So, weird thing about Cost Plus World Market? They have so many Hello Kitty items. Who knew? I certainly didn’t.
If I were an elementary school student, this is what a well-stocked adult kitchen would look like: Hello Kitty olive oil, Hello Kitty pasta sauce, Hello Kitty pasta, Hello Kitty ramen noodles, Hello Kitty soy sauce and Hello Kitty green tea matcha marshmallows…
Basically, if you can dream up a Hello Kitty-related food item, you can probably find it at Cost Plus World Market. I had no idea Miss Kitty’s reach extended so far into the culinary world.
I was most impressed by the variety of noodles. Miss K is all about the carbs…
Oh yeah, Cost Plus also carries the standard-issue Hello Kitty pencil cases, sticker books, notebooks and water bottles, too.
Ultimately, I didn’t buy anything Hello Kitty related while I was there because I mainly went to get a big bag of tagliatelle pasta (I want to make this recipe), and because I needed to distract myself after an incident at a nearby Pier 1.
Yes, I had my first (and presumably last) meltdown at a Pier 1 store last weekend, complete with tears, blubbering and everything. I totally lost my sh*t at the cash wrap in front of the whole store. YUP.
Let me back up a bit… First, Pier 1 is going out of business in the US, and the last remaining open one is the one in Santa Rosa across the street from the Cost Plus, and that’s actually why we went to Santa Rosa in the first place, so that I could *finally* use a circa 2018 Mother’s Day gift card I’d been saving for a rainy day for years.
After scouring the store’s wares for about 30 minutes, I decided on a wobbly side table.
I made my way to the front registers to buy it, and that’s when I was told that the entire Pier 1 chain of stores was no longer accepting gift cards.
The last day to use them was a few days earlier…aaaaaaaand so I burst into tears. LOL.
Let it be known that it is totally possible to cry in a mask.
Is it a fun experience?
No. But at least I can cross it off my bucket list. Sigh… I’ve been feeling a little fragile lately (Pandemic blues…you know how it is.), and the fact that I couldn’t use the gift card just pushed me over the edge. I had gotten my hopes up, and it felt like I was throwing money out the window.
But, ya know, it is what it is.
Anyway, because of that, when I left the store, I went straight over to Cost Plus World Market to drown my sorrows. So, I would never have discovered that Cost Plus is the secret headquarters of all things Hello Kitty if it hadn’t been for Pier 1. Yay for silver linings. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
First of all, I am so sorry for your Pier 1 incident. I don’t blame you for being upset and disappointed. I’m sure the cashier was hoping he/she had over-ride power and could make an exception for you. I’m glad that you had the silver lining of Cost Plus, though. I am not familiar with the store but it seems like a goldmine. I SO want you to pick an item every week and tell us what it was like. HAHA! Even the questionable stuff because it’s all too adorable. I was never a big HK fan but my sister was. I didn’t even know there were “friends” but you cracked me up with the soccer owl eye roll comment. I’d have to google how far you are from Santa Rosa but I hope it’s close and you can share the occasional HK treat review with us!!! 🙂
PS Where did you get Connor’s mask? I have a tiny head and am always looking for smaller cloth masks.
Thanks, Kim. I will probably go back next month, assuming I don’t get pushed over the edge by fire season and the power outages that happen with it!
OK, so I wish I could remember where I got that mask. I’ll have to double check with El Hub because I can’t remember (I think it was an etsy find). I did just order these ones that were recommended from a friend by a brand called Caraa. They make adult and child size masks! I ordered a pack for me and a pack for Connor.
You certainly don’t have it easy with fire season. 🙁 I hope this fall will be uneventful that way. Thanks for the mask info – I’ll check them out and take a spin around Etsy, too.
I hope it will be too. I’m not ready!!!
I am so sorry about your Pier 1 experience! I am waiting for that to happen to me, I have been feeling a bit emotionally on edge lately. It’s weird. Anyway, wow the Cost Plus World Market!! My inner child would have been ALL OVER that Hello Kitty stuff! Actually maybe my adult myself still might be,lol! There were a few items because the packaging was cute I might’ve gotten. I also saw on a shelf under Badtz-Maru (he;s my favorite character lol) there were some Walker cookies. THOSE ARE SO GOOD! I hope you are feeling better today. ((hugs)))
I think I had Walker cookies years ago; they’re super buttery, right?
And I will happily take those hugs!
Hi Karen ,
I love all your choices ! I would have purchased that Cat Cookie Jar .
I am East coast so we don’t have that world market ( I wish we did ! )
And all of those spices and Kittie wine or Sake . ( I love Sake btw !)
My niece is vacationing west coast right now . I need to text her .
Have a great Friday ,
Michele
Something like the gift card thing would probably push me over the edge too – it has been a rough couple of months.
The choco marshmallows are delicious, and that would be the pick for s’mores – it’s just a marshmallow with a chocolate chunk inside. The green tea ones are a little weird, with a wee wad of matcha gel inside.
Oh the gel would freak me out!
Kitties follow you wherever you go Karen, Lol you always spot the good cat/kitty goods. I’m always on the lookout too. My daughter love kitty merchandise.
They totally do! Connor and I went for a walk this morning and saw a bunch of them. 🙂
Happy Friday to you, and if you and your daughter ever make it out to a Cost Plus you guys have to go crazy over the Hello Kitty stuff!
Try the lottepie. I think it is a cvriation of chocopie, a chocolate covered cookie with a laye of marshmallow inside. Keep it in the fridge. Great with a strong iced tea for an arvo pick me up.