<Begin Segment 22>

MA: So Harry was doing, was working in barber shop, and you eventually opened, or you worked in a tackle shop?

CY: I was working in the tackle shop, I was running a tackle shop. Because my father-in-law was there for just a few months, and he showed me what to do, you know. And then after that, I had to learn on my own, and I did all the buying and most of the selling. And the customer would tell you what they want, you know, so that's, so I ran it for fifty-seven years. I retired when I was eighty-four, 2004, June, June 2004.

MA: And who were your customers? Were they mostly Japanese American at the tackle shop?

CY: No, they were all, all races. Lot of Mexican people and Caucasian, and you know, these sportsmen, once they know you've got the things, they'll come around. So after I closed, I think a lot of people were lost because I was the only tackle shop in town that carried things that other stores don't carry, the big stores like Longs or, they used to, K-mart, places like that would have stuff, but they wouldn't have the things that they need. And I would have all the, all that stuff. So when I closed the shop, I think lot of people were lost, although fishing now is not that well. Because they have too many restriction. I think I got out at the right time, because Monterey Bay has, you can't fish for lot of things, they have so many, they cut the season off and things like that.

MA: Seems like you did a good business, though, in the time that you were working.

CY: Oh, it was, it was fine, yes. But it was getting too much for me 'cause I had my sister-in-law, too. She was helping me, too, but then I did most of the work and I was getting exhausted and getting high blood pressure, and I had to quit. And I'm glad I did, 'cause it was about time for me to quit. [Laughs]

MA: So your husband's barber shop...

CY: Uh-huh, next door is the tackle shop.

MA: Okay, so next door was the tackle shop, barber shop. Who were his customers at his barber shop?

CY: He had all races, and he had customers that come for years, two generation. Father come, the son and the grandson, yes, we had, we had a good customers. But then Harry died in '89, and Tommy died in 2003, I think.

MA: Was that his brother?

CY: Yeah, Tommy, his brother. But I ran the tackle shop one year after he died, and then I finally decided to close. Because you know, when you have a shop by yourself and you're there alone, it's kind of scary. But I never did have any problem all the time I had, I'd been there. But it was time to quit. I need a rest. [Laughs] 'Cause you get tied down, you know, when you have a shop you have to open nine to five because people expect you to be open. And I used to open seven days, we cut it down to five days because it was getting so hard. And then hours, we kept hours nine to five.

MA: And it was two of you? You and your sister-in-law who worked?

CY: Yes, but my sister-in-law lived another place, so she had to come over. So she'd be there only a few days a week.

MA: And your home where you lived, was it still in the back of the...

CY: Yes, it's same place. That's the reason why I don't rent the shop, they're open, because it's too close to my house and I don't want people, you know, coming in my yard. So people ask for the, to rent the place, but I never... it seemed like when I first closed, there used to be a lot of people. But even now, I have people coming in who want to rent the place, the barber shop or the tackle shop.

MA: So I'm curious about the changes that you've seen in the Japanese American community over the years in Watsonville, if you can tell me about that, what your thoughts are.

CY: Well, you know, all I go is to the senior center, and I go to, I help at the church, I got to church a lot. And so that keeps me occupied. So I don't know if, I know when I go to church, I see a lot of people that I don't know because they're from younger generation, and their children. But if they're older generation, I know 'em all because I've been here eighty-four years. [Laughs]

MA: The church, are most of the people that still go Japanese American?

CY: Yes, uh-huh. If they're Buddhist, they go to that church. But we have two church in town, so they have the Presbyterian and the Buddhist.

<End Segment 22> - Copyright ©2008 Densho and the Watsonville - Santa Cruz JACL. All Rights Reserved.