<Begin Segment 3>

RP: So it was the father that established the flower business.

FH: Yeah. Well, like I said, they were the pioneers and my mom and dad went to work for them. First they were in, which was called Coyote Pass, but I understand it's part of Montebello now. The old people probably remember the name Coyote Pass. But then they bought a piece of property in San Fernando Valley right across the street, where Hansen Dam is, the reservoir is, and they grew flowers there for... oh, they worked for them for about ten years and then they opened a flower shop up in Hollywood area. Then my folks...

RP: Opened that shop.

FH: Uh-huh.

RP: They were, they were selling flowers from this operation at Hansen Dam?

FH: No, it... no, they were on their own and they'd go to the flower market to buy their supply of whatever they need for the flower business. And we were little kids. I was nine. I think I was about nine. Yeah, I was nine. And they had this business, and Mom and Dad didn't know one bit of English other than "yes," "no," and they were answering "yes," "no" to people not even understanding the question. But they did well. They did well. And then I think that was '34 and we went in camp '42. Eight years.

RP: What do you remember about the flower shop?

FH: I had to work in it. [Laughs]

RP: What did you do there?

FH: Well, you know, as a youngster you don't want to do that. You want to do your thing, and "Oh, such-and-such is doing this, why can't I do such-and-such?" But no, we all worked. It was a good experience. Regular experience. But at that time I didn't think so.

RP: Tell us about your father, his personality and how he was.

FH: He was a typical Japanese man. Head of the household, ran the house. He gave out the orders. That's what... I think all men were like that then, but then, of course, I never associated with other men of that sort, so I wouldn't know. But he was a stern father. I think he was disappointed he didn't have sons for his first two kids, because I was eldest and most men want their first to be sons. But I did have two brothers underneath my sister and I. There are four of us.

RP: Yeah, why don't you, why don't you give us their names and...

FH: My sister is Sumi. Sumi, and my brother is Kiyoshi William. They got American name because we lived with the Mutos, and the younger generation gave him, told my mom that they should have American names, so that's why my two brothers had American names. And my youngest brother is Haruo Jim. So we never got the Japanese name. I mean, we only got Japanese names, but they got the English middle name. And my brother Willie is gone. He's been gone about fourteen years. Yeah, he's been gone about fourteen years. And all the rest of us are around. Still doing our thing.

RP: So where did, where was the flower shop located?

FH: On Las Feliz Boulevard, three blocks away from Glendale railroad track.

RP: Is this a shop that your father established, or was it already --

FH: It was already established and he just took over.

RP: Just bought it.

FH: Yeah, my father didn't do too much customer relation kind of thing. My mother was the one that built the business up. She had things figured out, and she just went ahead. They called her Mary, like they, all Caucasian name their friends, you know, easy name. They called her Mary. And we had a very good business there.

RP: What was the name of the...

FH: Flower shop? It was called the Country Floral Shop. Or Country Florist, that's what it was. But there were quite a few florists in that area there. On Las Feliz itself there must have been about five of them. All the way up to Vermont, or Western. Is Western further than Vermont? One of the which. So I don't know if you've heard of Art Ito? He had a flower shop up there, but that was his folks' flower shop. And then there was a couple others that I know up toward Hollywood Way. And then there was one in Glendale.

RP: Did you ever go with your father to the flower market to pick up flowers?

FH: Once or twice a year, maybe. Once or twice a year. It's, you have to get up so early, and just one of those things that when you go to school you can't be getting up that early and then go to school, too, so...

RP: Who did the, who did the arranging or the --

FH: Mom was the main... she learned and there was a Japanese family that had a flower shop down on Glendale Boulevard, which is about three blocks down from where we live. And they had been in the business and they came over and helped Mom, and to this day we're the best of friends. I mean, the daughter and I are.

RP: What, what were their family names?

FH: Takechi.

RP: Takechi. Can you spell that?

FH: T-A-K-E-C-H-I.

RP: So there was a little cooperative spirit there.

FH: Yeah, everybody helped each other out. They didn't know each other, but with time you do things, help each other out.

RP: Did you... how much acreage did you have there? Did you just have a small lot?

FH: No, it was, at the beginning, when we rented that place, we lived behind it, which had only three rooms. And there was just a kitchen and two bedroom and a little bathroom, and we worked out of there, but there was a lot of property in the back. And Mom would say, "Well, if I plant flower back there, that would bring the people's, make 'em see that there's a flower shop and they're fresh cut," so she'd grow flowers back there just to get the customers in. She used to do a lot of that kind of thing.

RP: What kind of flowers did she like to grow back there?

FH: It was just florist shop, so it just, all kinds of flowers. Any kind of flower. Whatever the customer wanted.

RP: Roses, carnations...

FH: Yeah. Not roses, but all sorts. Easy to grow kind of thing. It was interesting, but of course life was simple then.

<End Segment 3> - Copyright © 2009 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.