MARUQ

If you are in Japantown, this stylish boutique is worth checking out. Some of the brands carried include Liz Lisa, Aymmy in the Batty Girls, Hello Kitty, Milk, Tokidoki, and Rilakkuma. Liz Lisa is feminine in design: lots of bows, soft blues and pinks, floral prints. This line is usually placed towards the back. The store has a small dressing room pop up in the middle of the shop. I haven’t bought any clothes because the sizes available run too small for me. The Japanese sizing isn’t too favorable for plus size folks.
Accessories include phone cases, elaborately decorated fake nails, stationary, bags, fascinators, headbands, cameras, jewelry, umbrellas, pins, hats and more. The designs range from cutesy sweet to wacky cartoons to bright and colorful. A of couple items I saw did use the f-​bomb. It doesn’t bother me but maybe it would to some others.
You can take a test shot with the camera for a few bucks. Prices are not too budget friendly even for the small items but I believe it is worth it if you are a fan of Japanese street fashion. A couple times a year, there will be some special sales usually during the JPop festival and Black Friday.
The interior is brightly lit and the pairing with the merchandise and décor is thoughtfully laid out. The girls at the cash register have been helpful, informing me of upcoming events and taking my nail size for the fake nails. I always see them dressed up in Liz Lisa clothing with perfect makeup.
I have bought a pair of nails and two crown fascinators. I was told the fascinators are handmade. They come in a range of colors. I found one perfect for my aristocratic outfit in red and gold.
I will be back.

It’s a cute store with all of the cute brands such as Liz Lisa, Tralala, Tour New Soul, Aymmy in the Batty Girls, etc. A bit on the pricy side though. This is a store based on Japanese fashion, so most items not plus size friendly either. My only small complaint is despite other good customer service you get ONLY when you have questions to ask and making purchases, the staff never greets customers when they walk in, including myself, well at least I never seen them do so. Greeting customers when they walk in makes EXCELLENT customer service.

The service here is rarely ever a hit as it is almost always a miss. I come here quite a lot, & almost 70% of the time, I am never greeted, nor even given a nod of acknowledgment that myself or other patrons are shopping. I’m not sure if some of the part-​timers understand the concept of customer service, but it most definitely is not standing behind the counter and browsing facebook. If requested, I can be specific about who these individuals are, but I’ll reserve that for private conversation.
However, the lack of enthusiasm in a few people’s work ethic does not reflect the store as a whole. The store manager herself, in the few times I’ve had the chance to interact with her, is wonderful & due to her diligence & interest in working with clients, I don’t mind excusing some flaws.
There aren’t very many Liz Lisa, or Tralala suppliers outside of Japan, most of the time I have to resort to websites, so I’m very grateful that this standalone exists inside the New People building.
You can expect a rotating range of brands from JapanLA, Aymmy, Milkbibi, & Omocat clothing line but who knows how long these brands will stay at Maruq.
I recommend coming here as it is a great shop for gyaru brands, or lolita accessories, & some Japanese street fashion.

Everytime I come into this store I get so happy because they carry pieces from designers I follow online. It’s nice to be able to try on these pieces and see them in person. I customer service varies, if you’re just browsing for fun you might not get helped out. The past two times I came in I got helped by really sweet girls. One thing I love is the way the store is put together. They carry such cute fashions and if you see something you like, get it before it’s gone. I seriously can’t wait for my next visit! :3

I have visited this shop twice, one time in November 2013, and recently this July 2014 (during the JPOP Summit). Liz Lisa has been one of my favorite brands ever since, and I’m so happy to see that MARUQ carries this brand in their store :)
The staffs are very helpful and they are really fashionable too! The items are a bit pricier (since they are imported) but reasonable. I have yet to purchase from this store, but I have bought Liz Lisa items from their Harajuku branch.
If you love Gal fashion, and won’t be going to Japan any time soon (and in the SF area), definitely check out this store in Japantown.

This is one of my favorite shops in San Francisco! The clothes are freaking adorable and a little on the pricey side, but they also sell quality brands like Liz Lisa, as well as other more colorful Harajuku-​style clothing. Also, the shopgirls are adorable and super friendly and nice. I love Maruq!

I love LIZ LISA. They are a popular Japanese gyaru-​style fashion brand, and last week, when I was wandering around Japantown with a few friends, and stumbled upon a cute new store with obviously Japanese clothes, I had to go in. And to my surprise, the store, was an American retailer of LIZ LISA and Tralala!
The clothes and accessories here are so cute! Seriously, they are adorable. They’re a bit on the pricier side, though not as expensive as, per say, H. Naoto and Baby The Stars Shine Bright. The clothes are more casual than lolita fashion, but still extremely well made and attractive.
The girl who works there is really sweet and loves to help out and give you input if you have questions. Most don’t notice the store because it is kind of in a back corner.
Be prepared that all the clothes are one size fits all, although they do fit a slightly larger range of sizes because there is quite a bit of elastic in most of the dresses and shirts.
Overall, it’s a great store that people should check out! Especially if you love Japanese fashion, and haven’t seen anything besides the lolita style clothing stores at the New People Building and downtown.