Small business
Japanese American businesses, such as groceries, fish shops, laundries, barbershops, public bathhouses, restaurants, drugstores, and dry goods stores, sprang up in communities along the West Coast. Women and children were vitally important to these "mom and pop" enterprises, as their free labor allowed the family to survive and even prosper during lean times.
Industry and employment
(481)
Small business
(391)
391 items
391 items
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Dye works picnic (ddr-densho-135-1)
Dye works shop owners gather for a picnic, a common social activity for families in the business. (L to R): Yae Kumakura, Gonnojo Tamura, Yasuye Shimizu, Suma Tamura.
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Japanese American family (ddr-densho-135-3)
This family operated the Royal Dye Works in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. (L to R): George, Marian, Yoshio, Mr. Tamura.
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Siblings in front of house (ddr-densho-136-31)
Frank and Violet Yokoyama, along with their parents, operated a produce store and greenhouse in North Seattle, and sold their produce at a vegetable stand in the Pike Place Market.
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Sister and brother in front of car (ddr-densho-129-2)
This brother and sister lived in the University District in a small home behind their parents' storefront dye works business. (L to R): Dorrie Akimoto, Bob Akimoto.
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Family portrait (ddr-densho-129-1)
This Japanese American family ran University Cleaners, a dye works business located at 1014 East 45th Street in Seattle, Washington. (L to R): Mr. Akimoto, Dorrie Akimoto, Mrs. Akimoto, Robert Akimoto.
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Interior of Mitsuwado store (ddr-densho-13-32)
The Mitsuwado store, located at 522 Main Street, was owned by Kinzo Asaba (right). The store sold a variety of items including books, records, record players, and fishing tackle. Asaba's daughter, Chiyo, stands next to him.
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Mitsuwado store's window display (ddr-densho-13-34)
The Mitsuwado store was located at 522 Main Street in Seattle's Nihonmachi, or Japantown. In this display are matsutake (pine mushrooms) and various prizes to be awarded to fishing derby winners.
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Three Issei men and child outside the Mitsuwado store (ddr-densho-13-2)
Mitsuwado was located at 522 Main Street in Seattle's Nihonmachi, or Japantown. The store sold a variety of items including books, records, record players, and fishing tackle. Left to right: Kinzo Asaba (the store's owner), Mr. Osawa, unidentified, and unidentified.
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Two Issei men outside the Mitsuwado store (ddr-densho-13-16)
The Mitsuwado store was located at 522 Main Street in Seattle's Nihonmachi, or Japantown. The store sold a variety of items including books, records, record players, and fishing tackle. The store's owner, Kinzo Asaba, is on the left.
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Mitsuwado store (ddr-densho-13-31)
The Mitsuwado store, located at 522 Main Street, was owned by Kinzo Asaba. The store sold a variety of items including books, records, record players, and fishing tackle. Left to right: Mr. Izui, Denny Yoshimura, Nobujiro Shibata, Ayako Shibata, Yoshiko Hagiya, Shuzo Asaba, and Kinzo Asaba.
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Dye works storefront (ddr-densho-130-2)
The M & M Dye Works was located at North 42nd and Fremont Avenue in Seattle, Washington. The Japanese American owners lived behind and above the shop.
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Dye works storefront (ddr-densho-130-3)
About 15 families in North Seattle owned dye works (dry cleaning) businesses. This shop, the M & M Dye Works, was located at North 42nd and Fremont Avenue.
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Tsutakawa Company camping trip (ddr-densho-128-115)
Front row (L to R): Marion Tsutakawa, Frank Kubo, Jim Tsutakawa, J.K. Saoka, George Tsutakawa, Mr. Baba, J. Shima. Second row (L to R): Bob, Mrs. Tsutakawa, Dick, Mr. Y. Shimada. Front row (L to R): Thomas, Mr. Y. Omi (?), Kumako.
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Man standing outside office (ddr-densho-128-37)
Frank Kubo stands outside the Tsutakawa Company office where he was employed.
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Issei men in hansom cab (ddr-densho-259-278)
Caption by Homer Yasui: "[Masuo Yasui], the Reverend S. Yoshioka, and A. Ikeda (the driver) in a horse-drawn hansom cab. Behind the cab, the first Yasui brothers store with the sign, is seen. The street which surely must have been State Street, was a dirt road."
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Issei men outside a store (ddr-densho-259-265)
Caption by Homer Yasui: "This is the Oak Street view of the back half of the second Yasui Brothers store in Hood River. The man at the left was Kamematsu Norimatsu, but I don't know the other man."
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Yasui Brothers store in Hood River (ddr-densho-259-160)
Caption by Homer Yasui: "Daiichi Takeoka and Keisuke Ito of Portland, [Masuo Yasui], [Shidzuyo Yasui] and Senichi Tomihiro standing in front of the main door to the second Yasui Brothers store in Hood River."
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"Third Yasui Brothers Store under construction" (ddr-densho-259-284)
Caption by Homer Yasui: "This view [of the third Yasui Brothers Store under construction] was looking north northwest. The brick building to the left was the Hood River Hotel. The wooden building with the cupola and the verandas on both the first and second stories was the old Mt. Hood Hotel."
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"Third Yasui Brothers Store under construction" (ddr-densho-259-283)
Caption by Homer Yasui: "The Texaco service station being built on the corner of First and Oak Streets in Hood River, Oregon Third Yasui Brothers Store under construction."
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"Yasui Brothers Second store" (ddr-densho-259-303)
Caption by Homer Yasui: "A large gathering of mostly Issei men along the south side of the second [Yasui Brothers] store."