<Begin Segment 18>
TI: Before we go there, back to your father, so at this time, how large was your father's business? I mean, how many stores did he have?
KK: Oh, they had the main establishment down in Japantown, which consisted of the dry goods and the grocery, but they were separated in two different areas, not too far apart. The grocery had one storefront, towards Los Angeles Street, on the same block. Then the dry goods was on the corner of San Pedro and First Street. And that took up two storefronts there.
TI: So it was like two separate stores there.
KK: Yeah. But they were under separate management, but still under the Asia Company name. And then they had also branched out, and they had a branch in, on Sawtelle Boulevard in West L.A. And then they had, they also branched out into the grocery business, retail grocery. And out in Vernon, they had a market of, they had a regular, just like Safeway or something like that, out there. And it was hard to get people to work in the vegetable, fresh fruit and vegetable section. So when we had nothing to do, we were sent out there to fix up the strawberries. It was a grueling job, because you take the stuff from the field blocks and have to weed out all the gooey stuff. So anyway, then we did that. And then we had... that was quite a long ride from home to get out there, but we had to get on the streetcar and go. I can't, I don't know how many minutes we were on the streetcar. And then... they also had a fruit and vegetable portion out in West L.A., of groceries, retail groceries.
TI: So there were, I counted five, like five different stores?
KK: Yeah, I guess that's it.
TI: And were they all named Asia Company?
KK: Yeah.
TI: And that was the name of it. I'm curious, at this time, did your father own the properties for each one of these, or was he leasing?
KK: Oh, he was leasing most of it. Before that, nobody would sell anything to... I don't know what, just who had the properties that they leased, but they didn't own the property, the land.
TI: Okay. And so you were going on that... so you didn't work for your father, and so you were going to do something else?
KK: Well, yeah. I thought I should use my education for something besides just doing the job that, that were open there. Anyway, they said that former, people, Nisei, had gone to Hawaii, and it was very simple to apply, get a job there. I guess the, it was kind of scarce.
TI: So there was a shortage of skilled labor or educated people in Hawaii, so it was easier to get a job there?
KK: Yeah. Well, anyway, I thought, well, it's not doing me any good to stand or stay around in L.A. I didn't like the atmosphere, and I had no terribly thick friends to do anything with. So I went, Shiz went back after her visit, and we went back together again. So went to, back to Honolulu, and in Honolulu, I met -- that's another story, though. I met my husband-to-be, but of course, he was just a man at that time.
<End Segment 18> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.