Japan's biggest and most popular dollar store chain has debuted in North Texas, with a store that opened in Carrollton on July 31. Called Daiso Japan, it's a more exotic version of a dollar store, with a lowest price of $1.50.

This is the first Daiso Japan in Texas, and it's located at Carrollton Town Center, at the southeast corner of the Bush Turnpike and Old Denton Road. The chain has 3,300 stores around the world, with 44 stores in the United States, most in California. It plans to open 20 stores throughout Texas, with Plano, Irving, Allen, Arlington, Fort Worth and Euless on the company's short list.

"NewQuest is honored to have Daiso in our development in Carrollton," says Heather Nguyen, of NewQuest Properties, which is developing the center, in a release. "Daiso has had great success in other states such as California, and we look forward to assisting them with their stores in Texas."

Daiso is a forager's dream, with 70,000 products, 99 percent of which are developed in house, with 500 new products created every month. Categories include kitchen, living, bath & toiletry, cosmetics, fashion, interior, toys & party goods, gardening, electrical accessories, foods, restaurant supplies, stationery and Japanese goods.

There's a garlic "peeler" made of a hollow tube into which you put the garlic clove to remove the peel. There are erasers that look like wee food items. Sponges made of melamine. Silicon funnels that collapse and flatten, so they don't take up space. Bars of stainless steel "soap" that remove strong odors from your hands.

There is much cuteness and pastels, from hair bows to polka-dotted boxes to rows and rows of stickers. The mantra repeated on its website is, "Creating surprising quality where consumers think, 'Can I really buy this product at this price?'"

While most items are priced at $1.50, some can cost up to $10.