You may not know this, but the anime scene in Milwaukee is strong. The only thing that was missing was a shop close to the city dedicated to all things anime. So, one anime fan took it into his own hands to open just that kind of shop. Well, business turned out to be so good, he was able to open a second anime store a few years later.
“I do have, like, Studio Ghibli notebooks, Studio Ghibli bath towels that people don’t really see much,” Navin Chittavong said.
He owns Hai Hai Anime Shop. His first location opened in West Milwaukee in 2023. Chittavong opened his second location in September in West Allis. Both stores are located on Greenfield Avenue and are about 1.5 miles apart.
“I never thought that all these people would be into anime, and they come to me, and they share their passion, which makes me drive more,” he said…