<Begin Segment 23>

DG: And we didn't talk about what the condition of the store was when you came back.

MM: No problems.

DG: Because...

AM: Nothing.

DG: Right.

MM: There were a lot of... the wood boards, you saw a lot of nails, 'cause there was, an old English gentleman came and took all the, the advertising. And so, he didn't want us to see all the ads on the wall, on the boards. So I heard that he came and took it all off.

DG: But there were some derogatory things also?

MM: I don't think so. It was all advertising, ne?

AM: Mmmm.

MM: He didn't say anything about... it's advertising.

DG: Okay.

AM: There're a lot of nice people.

DG: Uh-huh. And so anyway, when you started opening the store again, your brother and you, what did you do?

AM: We started to open, we opened, but all the things were inside the tables. So we just have to open that up and re-sell it.

DG: What about buying?

AM: We had quite a bit about that, I think.

MM: The wholesale people come to see us. And then (they said they will send), "Whatever you need, we'll send."

AM: And we had no trouble getting at all. I even helped equip the restaurant man, his, all the food. It was awfully hard to get food in the beginning. But we were very lucky to get him some help.

MM: I remember him. Mr. Egashira, ga mo, you have to go through so much red tape, he said, "Mo naki taku naru, te iuno." Then I heard you say he keeps on saying it...

DG: You felt like crying.

MM: ...but she kept on going, yeah, uh-huh. So he was able to open it. So he was really thankful.

AM: And he made it back in four months, ka?

MM: Yeah, he said, "I got all the expense back in four months."

AM: All of the expenses back in four months. I was happy that he, that I was able to help him.

<End Segment 23> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.