At Mirachi shoppers connect to a bigger world 

The moment you step through the glass doors of Mirachi Life, you notice sunlight spilling through wide windows and glinting off white tile floors and shelves. Rows of tidy products stretch deep into the space, with colorful chip bags, gleaming drink cans and pastel skincare bottles forming a kaleidoscope of color beneath a fluorescent-lit ceiling. 

Plush toys fill the front window display. They are round and bright-eyed, figures of Chiikawa, the Japanese cartoon character that has taken social media by storm. With soft faces turned toward the street, they seem to be watching the world outside.

Open for less than a month, Mirachi Life, an Asian lifestyle store at 299 Moody St., has added a flourish of color and become a curiosity in downtown Waltham.

Inside, the shop opens into a space roughly the size of a small supermarket, with three long aisles running from the entrance to the back wall. Shelves on the left feature Asian snacks, with rows of crackers and cookies, instant noodles, jelly drinks and candies. There are also familiar brands with unexpected twists, special editions inspired by regional flavors like Lay’s chips flavored with spicy hot pot, cucumber or even scallion pancake — flavors you won’t find in a typical American grocery store. The center glows with displays of makeup from across Asia, featuring glossy lip tints, mascaras and shimmery eyeshadow palettes. Along the right wall, rows of skincare, shampoo and bath products include customer favorites from Seoul to Tokyo.

Owner Kelsi Chan, a 29-year-old Waltham resident, said the store grew from both personal passion and a sense of what the neighborhood was missing.

“When you live abroad, you miss the small things, the snacks, the scents, the products that feel like home,” she said. “I wanted to create a space where Asian customers could find that feeling again and where others could explore something new.”

Chan said she wanted to bring something different to an area lined mostly with restaurants. “I felt the neighborhood needed a lifestyle store,” she said. “Something creative that could also bring more people to the community.”

She first noticed the gap during her own weekend errands, as she searched for familiar skincare and snacks. That lightbulb moment, she said, eventually led to turning on the lights at Mirachi Life.

The name Mirachi was inspired by its Chinese version, “米乐” (pronounced “mee-leh”), a pairing that combines “rice” and “happiness” and is often used to express luck and joy in daily life. Chan said she wanted both names to carry a cheerful tone and bring positive energy into the shop. She chose a koala as the store’s mascot for its gentle and friendly image, a symbol of warmth and togetherness. The koala appears on red-and-gold shopping bags, with the colors representing luck and prosperity in traditional Chinese culture.

Chan said she handpicks nearly every product herself, balancing trends with instinct and research. “You cannot just follow what is popular,” she said. “You have to do the homework, figure out what people actually love, what is really worth bringing in.”

Most beauty and skincare products are imported directly from Korea and Japan, while Chinese snacks are sourced through U.S. distributors, mainly because of tariffs.

Some customer favorites have surprised her.

“We did not plan to give snacks such a big section,” she said. “But people loved them, so now we are planning to expand that area.”

That mix of familiarity and discovery draws students like Yuhan Li, a Brandeis University student from China who visits often for hard-to-find Asian cosmetics.

“I love Fwee, a Korean beauty brand known for its dewy, watercolor-like tints,” Li said. “It is always unavailable or not a full range elsewhere. Here I finally found the shades I had been looking for.”

Alongside the beauty aisles are collectibles that have inspired loyal fans, including Labubu, a mischievous figure from Pop Mart, a Chinese brand known for its mystery-box toys. The wide-eyed character has become a global hit this year, fueling interest in Asian pop culture and drawing collectors to shops like Mirachi Life. The store also stocks other playful finds from Japan and Korea, from capsule toys to plush mascots, adding color and whimsy to the shelves. The toys have been quick to catch on with customers since the store opened less than a month ago. “Those sell so fast,” Chan said. “People come in just for them.”

A small source of community joy

For Chan, the steady flow of customers has brought more than sales. It has created a sense of connection that reminds her why she opened the shop in the first place. Many of those customers, she said, have shown a generosity and kindness that reflect the city’s character.

“Waltham may be small,” she said, “but it carries a rare sense of community.”

In the weeks since Mirachi Life opened, many residents have stopped in to browse and welcome her in person. “People came in just to say, ‘Welcome to Waltham,’” Chan said. “Some told us they wanted to buy something simply to support the business. That really touched me.”

A few customers shared memories of the space’s past life. It had once been a mattress store familiar to many locals. Now, seeing it transformed into a bright, playful lifestyle shop has become a small source of community joy.

“Everyone says it feels so different now,” Chan said. “They are happy to see something new here, and that means a lot to me.”

That warmth keeps customers coming back, for both nostalgia and curiosity.

On a recent afternoon, Erin Matthews, a Waltham resident, stood near the drink aisle, turning a can of matcha soda in her hand.

“I try something new each time. Last week it was peach jelly, this week matcha soda,” she said. “Half of it I have never seen before, and that is what makes it fun.”

Moments like that, Chan said, are exactly what she hoped for when she began planning the store late last year. From permits to product sourcing to assembling shelves, she handled nearly every step herself.

“It feels like building another home,” she said. “Every piece of it, from the lighting to the layout, was chosen with care.”

As the shop settles in, Chan hopes to make the space even cozier, adding wall decor and eventually expanding to new locations in Massachusetts. Still, she said, the heart of Mirachi Life will stay the same.

“People are more open now to trying things from other cultures,” she said. “Sometimes it is just one snack or one scent, and suddenly you feel connected to something bigger.”

Outside, the plush Chiikawa toys still face the street, bathed in soft window light. Inside, the aisles shimmer with flavors, colors and the quiet mix of familiarity and surprise that keeps people lingering — sometimes for a taste, a shade or something new to try on Moody Street.

This story was written in collaboration with the Boston University local journalism program.