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VY: Did you know your grandfather, do you remember him?

NH: He was an old man when I grew up, and actually slept all the time. But he would come to the nursery, my understanding, this is getting ahead, after the war he worked a little bit, but he said he was too old. He was in his seventies after the war, so the war (took away those years of worknig naturally in the aging process).

VY: What about some of the things he did early on while he was running the nursery? Was he involved in any organizations?

NH: He was (in) some kind of flower, horticulture society in San Francisco. And I think he helped establish the California Flower Market in San Francisco. At one time, he was president of either that other organization or the one in San Francisco. So his command of English must be pretty good. I don't recall, as a kid, talking to him much, in English or Japanese.

VY: Okay. Actually, can you tell us a little bit about the flower market?

NH: You go over there, currently (to sell wholesale to retailers).

VY: How about the history of it? How did it start? Who started it?

NH: That, I don't know.

VY: You don't know, okay.

NH: I understand that it was started by a group of growers, but it eventually split up into three sections, one was called the Japanese section, Italian section, and the rest of the people. It was, I guess it was a clash of cultures more than anything. I don't think it exists that way now, the differentiation.

VY: Interesting. So did they have different parts of the market?

NH: Yeah, you rent a square foot, some guys rent double bays or whatever, and it's enclosed by cyclone fencing, secured, and the usual routine was, usually the activity is about five o'clock in the morning, it's geared toward the flower shops or buyers, they come in, and the principal days were Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So the respective growers would come in about... (my) uncle went about midnight, he would unload it, set everything up. Actually, he stayed there until nine, ten o'clock in the morning, long day.

VY: So what kinds of flowers did he bring?

NH: My grandfather? Probably he started with cut flowers, but then he switched over to what they call ornamentals or potted plants, things contained in containers. And as a finished product, there would be blooming or budded for immediate sale.

VY: Did the Italian flower growers, did they grow different kinds?

NH: Yes. Each, almost every nursery had something unique to their particular organization. Otherwise you're selling the same thing and you're just price competing.

VY: Okay. So where was the Hayashi Nursery located originally?

NH: Seventy-third Avenue near, the cross streets were Kraus and something else, I don't recall.

VY: And did that change? Did the location change?

NH: Yeah, the early pictures show nothing around them, but it built up, and then they were forced, after the war, to sell portions of it because of the population growth. And I believe the grammar school I attended, (Edwin Markham), one block away, I think they were kind of forced to sell that parcel also.

VY: Okay, but that was after the war?

NH: Yeah, after the war.

VY: So before the war, it was still in the same location?

NH: Yes.

VY: Did any other members of the family work in the nursery, the kids or the wives of the brothers?

NH: All the way through the history?

VY: Well, how about early on, like before the war?

NH: Before the war, I don't know, but I imagine his wife put in time. It was just kind of understood. And I don't know about his other family.

VY: It's kind of something families just did?

NH: Yeah. That's where I grew up, I played in the nursery. So I think that kind of grew on me later, I can't stand to be in a little office. I can't stand to be in a little (space)... we had (a large area), half block or block of running around and all that kind of stuff (playing as kids outdoors).

VY: Yeah, so how big was the nursery?

NH: Well, at that time, eleven acres, right there. But slowly it was chipped away, so we were, when I grew up was in the center of the block with houses rimming the nursery, except the frontage, we had a house built on it.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 2019 Densho. All Rights Reserved.