MUCCA, Penang

Address: No.42, Penang St, Georgetown, 10200 George Town, Penang 
Opening hours: Daily, 10am - 7pm

Last weekend, I dropped by the newly opened MUCCA flagship store in Penang. If you’re not familiar with MUCCA, they produce high-quality journal. The best thing about getting your journal from the flagship store is to customize your book entirely.

I had the intention of getting a project book for my art gigs – I need some watercolor paper as sample drawings, checklists to cross out and some planner to monitor my project activities. There is none that cater to my requirement, so the best thing is to customize my own from MUCCA.

The system is pretty simple, you choose your cover, the closure, the inserts and the accessories. Lastly, the staff will confirm the arrangement of the inserts and your personalized details.

As I was browsing and deciding the look and feel of the project book, I got carried away and made 3 journals instead – one for the mister and another one for my friend. You will be easily charmed with the different colours, texture and design of the book and get addicted to the process of making the journal.

I had a good time (although occasionally being interrupted by other customers while the staff was attending to my questions) initially. When handed over at the counter for the official crafting process, the staff told me that I have to come back in an hour to pick up the book. But in the end I waited for 3 hours.

Pros:

• The customization was the biggest selling point.
• Friendly staff that will attend your every need.
• The book is made of high-quality materials and can last a long time.
• You can personalize your book with names, tags, etc.
• The price is reasonable if you don’t go too heavy on the accessories. For a standard journal, you can expect to pay around RM80-RM100.

Cons:

• It is situated at a location where finding parking is the hardest.
• The waiting time is long. As I mentioned, I waited 3 hours for 3 books, whereas other customers who are buying 1 book also waiting for the same amount of time.
• The reason for the wait is under-staffed. I hope their management do look into this because the girls are great but they need help.
• The arrangement of the items and the process flow of making the books are not properly thought of. For example, all the inserts are put in the drawer which is not labeled. You have to open every single drawer to find the insert that you want. Also, browsing the inserts is also difficult. I have to keep opening the samples to see the inserts. There’s no proper place where I can view all the options of the inserts.
• Lack of accessories options. This isn’t a big deal but it will spice up the journal a little with some charms, iron-on patches, etc.