A year after first estimates, Tokyo Central Market at the Bay Street Mall opened this morning, to a large crowd hoping to get in on opening day to do their food shopping. Emeryville police estimated the crowd to be 4000 people at its peak. Tokyo Central, a southern California based chain of 11 grocery stores with a Japanese twist, will compete against long established Berkeley Bowl, an independent grocer also with a Japanese twist. Tokyo Central benefits by being the new Japanese grocer despite its generally higher prices than Berkeley Bowl.
Higher prices didn’t seem to dampen interest though as shoppers waited in line for over an hour, a prospect an Emeryville police employee watching over the crowd characterized as ‘kind of crazy’.
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| At its peak, 4000 people queued up to shop. |
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| Because of the fire marshal, wait times to get in were in excess of one hour. |
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| Oranges were in high demand. |
