Densho Digital Archive - Jiro Sugidono Interview (denshovh-sjiro-01-0007)

<Begin Segment 7>

TI: So I want to talk about the shop itself. Where was the shop located?

JS: Well, see, it was right in Main Street, it's on that lower Main on the west side. And it was right there, I got a picture of that, it was called Roy Garage or something, I don't know. Anyway, he had a shop there, and I guess he specialized in vulcanized tire. My mother was, I guess, when they first opened, that's right after she got married, she was already sixteen. And next to that there was a Yamaguchi grocery store -- oh, there were all, lot of Japanese, there was, next to my father, one side, there was a Mr. Enomoto, they had a grocery store, too. And they had tofu-ya, and they had, oh, they had about two or three tofu-ya, one was the Morimune, and then one was Murakami. And there was a lot of Chinese gambling joints in there. (Yes), there was quite a bit of Chinese gambling joints.

TI: Well, so how did the Japanese and Chinese get along?

JS: Oh, as far as I know, I didn't see no, there was no incident, you know, I mean, guys fight or anything like that. They got along good, (yes).

TI: And so the Japanese would go to the, to the Chinese gambling places?

JS: Oh, (yes). Those times, early times, there was a lot of the Issei wasn't married, see. So they, what they make, they just spent it all in the Chinese gambling joint. And then, it was interesting, was Mr. Torigori got a shop further down on lower Main, he has a bicycle shop and a watch repair, and then another thing I don't think a lot of guys know, he was something like a loan shark. 'Cause lot of, there was a lot of Filipinos, and (...) they're single. So when they go to the gambling place, well, they always come see him afterwards. [Laughs]

TI: Oh, so they had to borrow money from him.

JS: Oh, (yes). They hocked their watches or something like that.

TI: Oh, so almost like a pawn shop, too.

JS: (Yes), that's right. (Yes), that's what it is, more or less. 'Cause I know, 'cause lot of Filipino came to his shop, and I know they didn't come to buy something. They always go in the back and get some money, loaned money.

TI: And so then when they got their wages, then they would go back and pay off...

JS: Oh, (yes), they'd claim their watch or whatever. So, in fact, that time, there was a lot of loan shark at Watsonville, especially those Jewish people, they had second-, they call it second-hand store, but it was loan shark. You could hock your watch or anything you want.

TI: So there were a lot of different ethnic groups.

JS: Oh, (yes).

TI: How did the ethnic groups get along? You mentioned the Jewish community, the Chinese...

JS: Watsonville is like a melting pot. There was a lot of, lot of whatchacall, the big farmer was a Slovenial. You had, like the Resetar, Scurich and all that, they all came from the old, old country. And most of them came from the same area, and heck, they made, they became rich, you know. 'Cause the Resetar brothers, the three of 'em, you could say they made an empire in lettuce. And they started buying a lot of orchard, too, you know, build (apple) orchards, so heck, they got the restaurant/hotel, so they made good money. And then there was a Slovenial and what do you call that? Portuguese, lot of Portuguese, and then there's lot of Filipinos. At that time, it was mostly young Filipino come to work in the field. And later on they started getting married from the old country. (Yes), it was a, there was quite a bit of Chinese, too.

TI: And so back in those days, did each ethnic group have a different part of town where they lived in, or did they all mix?

JS: (Yes), 'cause the lower Main, there was mostly, you could say, Oriental, like Chinese, Filipinos and Japanese. But then the upper, upper Main, I guess, there was mostly Slovenial and things like that. (Yes), 'cause, well, I don't know if you call that a racist thing or not, but I guess they went by, according to the money. 'Cause most of those guys had money, they built the Watsonville, they got the, there was a hotel made from the Slovenial, and they got those shopping store made from those Caucasians. But then there, we had quite a bit Oriental on lower Main, oh (yes).