<Begin Segment 44>

RW: Wanted to ask you about the location, being here in the north end of the city, in Greenwood. What was the community like here for Japanese Americans? Was there a community, and...?

KO: Well, there were a few other greenhouses around in the area when we first got here in '58. But eventually, they were all bought out for residences and commercial buildings. And so, it wasn't too many years before we were about the only ones in this area; where at one time, I understand there were quite a few Japanese farms and greenhouses in the area. I think at one time the Japanese were the dominant group of growers, of greenhouse operators. But that's certainly changed now.

RW: Talk about some of the changes to now. What is the business like today?

KO: Well, today, it's -- first of all in running a business, it's highly... you have to spend too much time in the office. The other part is that you have to be careful about labor. And labor is always, has been a problem for us, being in the city, where our competitors, being out in the farm areas, they seem to have a... more of a available labor pool. But we've been lucky here again, that somebody would always drop in when we were lookin' for someone but... I lost my train of thought. What was the question? [Laughs]

RW: I'll bring you back to that actually. I had kind of jumped, so I'm not surprised.

<End Segment 44> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.