Mai Do is a specialty store inside the Costa Mesa Mitsuwa. This cute little store has so many fun things!! I love just coming here and seeing all of the goodies. The prices are pretty fair, with specialty items from Japan literally all over the store. There is so much to look at! I recently came to get a new journal, and I was thoroughly surprised by the selection. The service is super nice, as they always help out and package everything nicely. Overall, Mai Do is a great option for cute and fun Japanese things! read more

Maido - Notebook - Gift Shops Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I've been coming here for years to buy gifts for all occasions. However, They dont care about customer service in any capacity. They Wouldn't accept my return on an unused, brand new with tags item because I didnt have my receipt. I understand my responsibility to have a proof of purchase. However to not even have an exchange or store credit offered when clearly the item still had their original price tags on it is absurd. They could have issued me store credit, charged a restocking fee, and they would still have us as customers. Store credit would not only guarantee a return customer, but it would also show ' good faith ' and appreciation to their customers. We wont be returning. And im sure thats exactly what they wanted given how they treat people. read more

A rude store staff member shouted at me loudly in front of other customers, so loudly that people turned and stared as if I had done something seriously wrong. There was no need to yell--she could have explained the issue calmly instead of embarrassing a customer and making them feel publicly humiliated just for walking into the store. The staff member wearing a face mask with a ponytail was especially rude--grumpy, aggressive, and completely lacking basic customer service. After shouting, she avoided eye contact, which only reinforced how unprofessional the interaction felt. The store is located in a food court, yet there was no sign at the entrance stating that drinks are forbidden. I was singled out and yelled at while other customers were doing the same thing. This clear double standard made it feel like the staff simply chose the easiest target. The store itself is extremely cramped and poorly laid out. It sells not only stationery, but also toys, bowls, and random goods, as if trying to cram an entire Daiso into a tiny space. The paths are extremely narrow, making it hard to move in and out, and everything feels stuffed together with overpriced, low-quality, carnival-grade items. Frankly, Mitsuwa's restroom feels larger than this store. The environment is uncomfortable, the staff look unhappy, and the way customers are treated is unacceptable. It also feels like the store resent customers who browse without immediately buying, creating a tense and unwelcoming atmosphere. Maido is no Kinokuniya--just a cheaper, lower-quality version. Kinokuniya should return with professional, courteous staff, not rude employees like her. Not recommended unless you enjoy being shouted at while everyone around you watches. Very disappointing! read more

This place has some nice stationery. I got the sun-star sindbat pencil that can literally carry 40 leads in the sea glass color. It truly lives up to its name. read more

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Does not close at 8. I'm not actually sure what time they officially close because everything I can find says they close at 8, but this photo was taken at 7:50. I was looking to ask if they had a specific fountain pen converter which would have taken like one minute but I'll have to come back some other time. read more

I am a kid in a candy store whenever I visit Mai Do in Costa Mesa!! It's like JetPens IRL... iykyk. As a pen aficionado, this cozy little shop inside the Mitsuwa Marketplace feeds my addiction for the best pens (IMO) and checkmarks many of my favorite things: * A plethora of pens, pencils, and cases * A variety of colorful stationery, stickers, cards, notepads * Cute plushies * Made in Japan The lady who works here is so sweet too. While I've only purchased pens, a pen case, and stickers here, I've found that the quality is superior compared to similar products. Thus, I've found the value of their items to be excellent! Overall, if you like quality pens like I do, you'll enjoy the products they have at MaiDo. read more

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This is such a cute shop and perfect for those looking to buy gifts based off of anime and Japanese pop culture. The store is small but full of many items. The pricing is a little high but they're imported goods from Japan. The employees are nice and will help you with any questions you have. It's neat because this store is inside Mitsuwa! So there are many other things to go check out. read more

Maido - Gift Shops Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Great little Japanese stationary store inside of the Mitsuwa in Costa Mesa. They have an awesome selection of different pens and pencils along with a lot of different paper and notebooks. Notably, they also carry a selection of fountain pens such as Kaweco, Platinum, Pilot, and Sailor amongst others. They also carry a good amount of inks for fountain pens as well. Overall if this is something you're into, you'll spend a good amount of time browsing this shop. read more

Normally love this store, great stationary and other finds there. That said, please update your hours! We were there at 7:45pm today, 15 mins before listed closing hours. The workers were still inside, just the gates lowered - I asked if I could just purchase one pencil that I knew where to find, and got plain "no" we close at 8 every day... well it was definitely not 8. read more

Lots of cute stationary and plushies, but the items are all overpriced in my opinion.

best selection of stationary and plushies! So many miffy, jellycat, and more! A pit pricy but worth it since a lot of stuff is imported I believe. I've gotten my favorite jellycats from here! read more

Maido - jellycat frog - Gift Shops Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Great place to buy Japanese stationary. Friendly service. Good location plus lots of good Japanese foods.

I came here expressly for lovely or unusual note cards or stationary and was sorely disappointed. The store is filled with interesting things, most notably pens, but very few note cards and stationary options. Yelp reviews led me to believe this was heaven on earth. Sad to say, I left empty-handed. The shop next door, whose name escapes me, was terrific. It wasn't high-end but had everything one could hope for. I got half a dozen notecards, featuring various dogs on the front and blank side. Better still, they support an animal organization. The staff was present but not terribly helpful. read more

Shopping in Costa Mesa, California... My friends said that we're going to Mitsuwa Marketplace... with the free parking! Okay... I'm just a passenger... I'll go anywhere you recommend... They brought me to this crowded, cozy shop called Maido... there were so many items from Japan like Sanrio merchandise. I also saw Miffy (the white bunny) notebooks and pouches. (Note to self: We do have a Miffy store in Waikiki... I should check if these items are there.) The plushies were so cute... And the stationary... And the ceramic bowls... And the keychains... And useful pens!!! I keep telling myself: I don't need it... I don't need it... I don't need it... Uhg... kawaii stuff... just looking at them makes me happy! We'll be back! read more

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After the Mitsuwa recently got remodeled, I really missed the stores that were inside the mitsuwa marketplace. So after doing some shopping at mitsuwa, I wondered around until I stumbled across the Mai Do! The Mai Do is such an awesome place for notebooks, journals, pens, notebook/journaling accessories and cards! It is a must go to place for anyone who loves stationery. The store itself isn't that big at all, but the amount of wonderful merchandise they have in this store is beyond amazing. They have like half a wall of notebooks that are compatible with the travelers notebooks and another 1/4 of their wall has a whole bunch of different kinds of pens and pencils to pick from. I wasn't able to spend as much time as i wanted to in the store, so I will have to come back to make a purchase. I was so distracted by all the notebooks in the store, and I couldn't decide which ones to buy, so I didn't get any that day. Now that I have a good idea of what their inventory is like, I shouldn't have a hard time returning and making a purchase here. I'm so happy this little notebooks/stationary shop Is here inside of mitsuwa! I can't wait to come back, walk around some more, and buy myself a planner for next year! read more

Maido - Large selection of travelers notebooks - Gift Shops Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

This place has so much stationary thats so cute they have jelly cats and miffy, Sanrio, and much more.I 100% recommend coming here read more

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Mai Do located inside Mitsuwa is a stationary store with a lot of Japanese items and made-in-Japan products. This store has been here for a long time and every time I am at the supermarket I will come here and find some awesome items to bring home. They have many items from stationery, pens, gifts for friend's birthdays, and cards for special events. Overall I like how organized this place is and the lady is super sweet and nice. You will be able to find something that you didn't even know you needed until you came here. I seem to always find something and I enjoy their products. read more

Good food! Great staff. Many item choices. We recommend it to our friends. You will like this place. read more

If you have a Japanese stationary fetish like I do, you can't afford not to come here. I spent hours just playing with the drafting pencils. Prices are half of Office Depot's prices. read more

Was excited to check this place out had about 15 min before closing but the clerk told us they were closed and that we could only come in if we knew exactly what we were buying read more

Maido - Gift Shops Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

They carry a little bit of everything and there is a lot to see but it's hard to navigate the shop on a busy day. I prefer to avoid anxiety and shop online instead. read more

This place is marvelous! They have a ton of art supplies and definitely over stocked. So much variety and everything you can think of. It is a one stop shop for Art. read more

Just the best when you need that bottle of iroshizuku fountain pen ink. I have several Pilot metropolitan fountain pens and the everyday one I use ran outta ink when I was far from my refill bottle (it is getting low anyways), Mai Do is thee brick and mortar store to go to for a new bottle of beautiful Tsuki-yo dark turquoise ink. Fun to take niece there and buy the ink bottle for me and a new journal and pen for her. Oh and some small tombow brush pens for me, too. This is the second time I've been to this location for fountain pen ink refill bottles. Doing my part by choosing an everyday writing instrument that avoids no-single-use-plastic-throwaway-pens and Mai Do is a great store that helps keep me supplied. The visit was on a highly crowded Sunday afternoon, will return on a weekday if I can help it the next time around. read more

I'm so happy that they've opened a Maido in another area of So Cal! There was one all the way in Santa Anita, but it's an hour away from me ;-; Their stationery's some of the studygram/studyblr stuff if you're into that, but this particular shop's selection seems smaller than the other ones I've seen. I hope to see them expand it a little, but Maido's a good stationery stop! read more

Maido - Zebra Sarasa Clip pens, 0.2-1.0 mm pens - Gift Shops Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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i definitely need to come back. im not sure what store this is supposed to be, but to me it seems like a better version of daiso/art store. they have a bunch of plushies and stationary and just little trinkets and cool stuff. i honestly wouldnt be able to even list the variety of things they have. as an artist, they have a pretty good selection of things in here. the biggest collection is pens (normal ballpoint ones) but they also have felt calligraphy markers like the tombow, copics i believe, and real ink fountain pens along with ink. they have so much stationary like washi tape, envelopes, stamps, and even lunar new year red envelopes the paint selection is pretty underwhelming, only watercolors are offered. there are also oil pastels, color pencils, and paintbrushes. what got me was that they offered sumi-e supplies like ink and and the grater thing for the ink stick. although, i didnt see an ink stick. they offer yasutomo ink i believe. i cant find these often so i was rly surpised that they have this this is a japanese store and those workers were def japanese. i would come back, i wanna buy everything read more

Love this little store! Back in the day they had Kinokunia in the store but that was back before it was a Mitsuwa. A lot of stores have come and gone between now and then but l missed the book store and stationery items that they had carried years ago. Enter Mai Do, and it's a dream! I still have one of the pens l bought years ago at a former store here but the pen is no longer made and refills are $25 and are shipped from Japan. So it makes it tough and not as economically sound for me to continue that. I randomly stopped into Mitsuwa and then Mai Do when some plans fell through (l now live in San Diego) and remembered that Mitsuwa was around the corner from where l happened to be. I am so glad l stopped in because the pens l bought at Mai Do are even finer (0.28 mm!) than the pen l misplaced (the ones with expensive refills). So it was a win win! I ended up buying my mom and friend some pens here because of how fine of a tip they have for writing really tiny in our day planners. It's helped me tremendously and l am thrilled to have found numerous and affordable replacements. My husband didn't want me to drive all the way back up to OC to get more for gifts but on Amazon the same pens were $12.99/ea! Here at the store they are less than $3.00 per pen. And even cheaper if you buy the ink cartridge already in the pen. They have the option of buying the ink refills separately and also the pen covering (pen body basically) separately, which l had to do for black ink since both times l came they were sold out of the cheaper option in black. Hey, l was just thrilled for an alternative that didnt break the bank and wasnt some odd color. I prefer black for my basic day planner charting lol. Overall, the store has sooooo many goodies and l cannot wait to return to find more treasures. read more

Cute stuff but definitely over priced :( i understand that sum business need to up charge for profit but prices here are kinda unreasonable.

Even though I really miss Kinokuniya Books at the Mistuwa Marketplace, Maido is a smaller, very cute replacement. They still sell some Japanese Magazines and some manga, though the manga is usually just popular titles (One Piece, Boruto, Food Wars are ones I've seen). Any anime merchandise is limited to Studio Ghibli, and they rotate different series with just key chains and pins. I am a sucker for all the stuff they sell here. I easily spend $30+ when I stop by. Most of the items you can find here are Copic Markers, fountain pens (love the affordable Preppy ones), notebooks, sketchbooks, cards, office supplies, brush pens, mechanical pencils (the Kuru Toga ones are my new favorite), erasers, gel pens, stamps, stickers, tote bags, coloring books, charms, etc. The list goes on as there is so much stuff to look at! If you're a writer, artist, or just love, love, love stationary, this is worth the trip. I will post a picture of some of the loot I picked up on the last few trips soon. read more

Located inside Mitsuwa Marketplace, this tiny stationary store has a nice but limited selection of pens, notebooks, office supplies, cards and various small odds & ends. There are a few manga and magazines available too. I purchased a handful of pop-up birthday and Christmas cards recently. It can be a tight squeeze when more than a dozen people get in here. Prices are okay but a little high. Staff were friendly and know a thing or two about great customer service. read more

Incredible selection of office supplies, pens, pencils, and pencil cases. They also sell eraser refills for each pencil they carry. I spent 2 hours shopping for pens and loved every second read more

Super cute stationary store with random knick knacks. The two ladies at the register were very nice and kind. 11/10 would recommend even if just for browsing. read more

This place is super cute! My boyfriend took me here just to explore a bit and I found myself walking around this little shop for an hour! They have everything a stationary/art fan wants in their life. From copics to mildliners and pens. There are also many other cute knickknacks within the store. I personally feel like they are pretty pricy. However, the stationary is decently priced for the quality and retail. read more

This place was a hidden gem for me! Its very hard to find stores that carry this amount of Asian branded pens, journals, and knick-knacks in Southern California. Maido delivers everything. I picked up 7 genuine Zebra Mildliners for $1.50 each and I don't regret it! They're new colors that aren't included in their usual sets and hard to find on Amazon. They also have wide varities of brush pens and gel pens ranging from Tombow to Pentel! I really reccomend coming here if you're a huge stationery, pen, and/or bullet journaling buff. However, be prepared to spend quite a few bucks! Everything is imported and with that comes a slightly bigger price tag compared to cheap one use American-made gel pens. BUT do not be discouraged, a good majority of items are still affordable! Overall, this place is a must go and I cannot reccomend it enough! Treat yourself to something nice. read more

Very helpful staff and a great selection of different pens, papers, and ink! I called to ask about a couple of different Lamy products and they were very helpful on the phone all the way to when I got to the store. I highly recommend shopping here for your stationery needs! read more

I've been to this name store up and down California and this location is by far the largest. Huge supplier, definitely a "bullet journal" store. Staff was very friendly and helpful, and didn't make me feel like they were watching for me to steal. (Not that I do, but I've had staff do such at other locations) Knowledgeable in what I needed to find. Clean and organized store. read more

I love walking into Maido!! It is located inside Mitsuwa next to Daiso Japan. This location is small compare to the one in Alhambra and Arcadia. The setup is the same in all locations. One side of the wall is pens and mechanical pens galore! If you collect pens, check this place out. The rest of the store are gift or collection items. There is a section of art supplies, stamps, and notebooks too. I love to go there for the Zebra pens. I have about 7 colors. I recently went to restock my black pens. I lost my last one. In my opinion, these are the best pens that I have used. They are $2 each. After looking at the pens, I like to browse around the store looking at all the cute items in there. The cashier is friendly, and she gives you your space to browse and test out the pens. She is attentive if you need her help. read more

Located in the Mitsuwa Marketplace is this cute Japanese stationary store to meet all your needs! From eclectic knick-naks, aesthetically pleasing notebooks, to a wide selection of quality pens you will be sure to find something at Maido! Highly recommend you check out this little shop In Mitsuwa located near the food court! Great customer service. read more

I had a ball at this store full of Asian stationery products! Stickers, pens, fountain pens, and much more. Competitive prices. Very fun!

Fountain pen, brush pens, and inks!!! One of very few retail operations in OC (maybe the only besides montblanc) with fountain pens (Lamy, KaWeCo, Sailor, Pilot) and ink as well as a huge selection of your favorite Japanese writing implements, notebooks, paper and gifts . Tiny, crowded like everything else in Mitsuwa. The two ladies behind the counter are very helpful even for non-Japanese speakers. They happily switched nibs, and allowed us to test and were just lovely. read more

Stationery heaven!! This replaces Kinokuniya, anjapanese book and stationery store which I loved. I guess people weren't buying enough books but they were buying stationery (guilty as charged) so kinokuniya closed down and moved to a smaller space to become maido instead. Even though I will miss kinokuniya dearly (why'd it have to move when I started learning Japanese? Why??) im glad there's still a reliable Japanese stationery store nearby. If you love Japanese pens and Kawaii stationery, this is your place!! For those not familiar with this location, it's inside the large Mitsuwa Marketplace building, where there's a fantastic food court serving authentic Japanese cuisine. I love coming here for lunch, to visit kinokuniya (now maido) and then the supermarket. Parking can be a little nuts on weekdays at lunchtime, so if you can try to come before 12pm and after 1pm. read more