The gift shop is run by two New Haven residents and sells stationery, stuffed animals, and home décor.
Joshua Chan
Contributing reporter
Joshua Zhang, Contributing Photographer
Uni-Home Life officially opened on October 1st, bringing many colorful products to New Haven.
The Asian Lifestyle Store and Gift Shop is located on Chapel Street, directly across from Vanderbilt Hall on the Old Campus and within walking distance of many Yarry’s residences. New Haven residents Christine Lim and Szeki Lam jointly own and operate the new store.
“It’s like a gift shop, with all kinds of gifts. [things] You may need to decorate your home or apartment. [like] Stationery, stuffed animals,” said Lim. “I’ve lived in New Haven for about four years and love the city, so I try to offer something cute, fresh, and unique to the community.”
We have a wide range of products from smartphone cases and keyboards to animal pattern towels. Uniform Life does not currently have a website, instagram page Under the handle @unilife_yale. Your Instagram feed lets your viewers see the variety of products you sell in your store.
Mr. Lim and Mr. Lam are both from China, and they often saw shops with a similar atmosphere to Uniform Life. For them, opening this store is a dream come true and they can finally bring this experience to New Haven.
“[Üni-Home Life] It’s kind of a dream because it brings back my childhood, my teenage years,” Lim explained. “The idea was about a year ago, so we prepared this store for a year and finally opened it.”
As a New Haven resident, Lim said he was familiar with the area’s retail and restaurant business. She said New Haven has a lot of great restaurants but lacks a retail and shopping scene.For Lim, the opening of Uni-Home Life is the solution to that problem.
“I’ve always liked this kind of cute stuff, so I was having trouble finding products I liked in New Haven or Connecticut.” ”
As you walk through the Uniform Life storefront, you will see stuffed animals displayed in the window display. The store is lined with colorful merchandise and maintains the cute and playful aesthetic that Lim described.
Chun-Yuan Chang, a recent Uni-Home Life customer, told News that he came across the new store while visiting New Haven from New Jersey.
“The first thing we saw was a really cute stuffed pumpkin, and then we saw a lot of cute Korean and Japanese dolls,” Chan said. “That’s why we came in.”
Chang owns other similar products from online brands, but she said she personally doesn’t know of a store like uni-home life in her area.
Hampden residents Porter Guite and Maya Quintomam first learned of the new store when they came to Chapel Street for the New Haven Night Market.
“Go to the night market here on Chapel Street, [the store] Quintman said. “There was this big goose [plushie] So we wanted to go in, but we were like, “Oh my God.” [because] I have never seen this store before. ”
“I loved the little stuffed animals and stationery,” Guite added, noting that the store was “the perfect place” to buy cute items.
Gloria Kim ’26 told News that Uni-Home Life’s unique style is cute and affordable.
“I think it’s super cute and minimalistic, and I love going there because it’s also reasonably priced,” said Kim. …it connects back home.
For some students of Asian descent, like Kim, the lack of Asian businesses in New Haven could be an adaptation when enrolling at Yale. But she said the opening of Uni-Home Life offers another outlet for Asian students to feel more at home.
“In my house, there are a lot of Korean stores at H Mart in Koreatown,” said Kim. “We have stationery and such, but New Haven doesn’t have a lot of Asian culture. I think Üni Life reminds me… everything I could buy back home. [Üni-Home Life] A very good addition to New Haven. ”
Uni-Home Life is located at 1046 Chapel Street.
