At one end of the store, a large pile of Sailor Moon figurines and plushies began to accumulate — the final haul of Gabe Gacayan, 34, who first visited Japan Video & Media in 2010, when they moved to San Francisco from Yuba City for college. They would return to the shop every weekend. “I was big into Sailor Moon in high school, but there was nowhere to buy merch,” they said. After they saw news of the closure on TikTok, they decided to come down one last time.
“I work at a local jewelry boutique, and I know how hard it is after Covid to keep afloat,” Gacayan said. “It’s sad that another store with such a deep history with the city is shutting down, so I want to support as much as I can.”
Customers have been streaming in since Onishi put up a sign announcing the closure last weekend. “We have served over a million people,” he wrote. “We could not have done it without our loyal customers and our dedicated staff. We are grateful for each and every one of you.”