Feeding the Needs of an Entire Community
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/assets/images/partnering-locally/local-markets-2/LM_356_878x494.jpg|Uwajimaya|Feeding the Needs of an Entire Community
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Transcript – How “fish cakes and a dream” led to the growth of an Asian grocery retailer
Tomiko Moriguchi Matsuno, CEO & President, Uwajimaya: Uwajimaya is a Japanese-American family owned grocery and gift store and we have a wholesale division that sells Asian products to restaurants. My father came to America and was gonna make 5,000 and go back home and live like a king. That didn’t happen. So in 1928 he opened the store in Tacoma making fish cakes, selling them from the back of his truck to farmers around Washington State. And in 1942 of course they were sent away.
Tomio Moriguchi, Chairman of the Board, Uwajimaya: Japanese Americans lost their business. They lost everything. When the war ended, my father came back to Seattle and then restarted the Uwajimaya business.
Tomiko Moriguchi Matsuno, CEO & President, Uwajimaya: In 1945 when my family opened the store, of course they needed some money and Bank of America was the only bank who would talk to my father. And we’ve stayed with Bank of America.
Jeff Kaisaki, Produce Manager, Uwajimaya: I’ve been here 11 years straight now and I’m treated like family.
Tomio Moriguchi, Chairman of the Board, Uwajimaya: We’re very fortunate. We have some [people] that have been with us 25-30 years. If you treat the employees well, they treat the customers well, they come back, and we continue to grow.
Tomiko Moriguchi Matsuno, CEO & President, Uwajimaya: We have 4 stores now. 3 in the Pacific Northwest and 1 in Oregon.
Maria Parks, Employee, Uwajimaya: There is a lot more multi-culturalism here.
Jeff Kaisaki, Produce Manager, Uwajimaya: We have everybody from every nation in the world.
Chris McCormack, Senior Client Manager, Bank of America, Western Washington: I grew up in the Seattle area and 5th or 6th grade classes would go on field trips to the international district and one of the main attractions was the Uwajimaya store. So that’s really my first experience. I’ve been hooked ever since. Over the years we’ve provided loans to help them grow the business, open new stores, Tomiko and I talk about best practices in the industry, what might be available to help them run their business better.
Tomiko Moriguchi Matsuno, CEO & President, Uwajimaya: The surprise is that we can still have such a human relationship with a big, big bank who wants to see us grow.
Feeding the Needs of an Entire Community
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Supporting a Cultural and Culinary Institution in Seattle
As World War II came to a close in 1945, Asian-Americans across the United States struggled to rebuild their lives. Fujimatsu Moriguchi, founder of Uwajimaya, one of the largest Asian grocers in the Pacific Northwest today, needed financial assistance to start and build his new business.
“Japanese lost their businesses, they lost everything,” said Tomio Moriguchi, Chairman of the board at Uwajimaya. “When the war ended, my father came back to Seattle and then we started the Uwajimaya business.”
Bank of America was the only financial institution that would provide that support for what is now an anchor institution in Seattle’s thriving Asian community. Bank of America remains Uwajimaya’s bank to this day.
“Over the years we’ve provided loans to help them grow the business, open new stores,” said Chris McCormack, client manager at Bank of America. “Tomoko and I talk about best practices in the industry and what might be available to help them run their business better.”
Each week, groups of students, tourists and local shoppers visit Uwajimaya to observe and experience the diverse Asian cultures that represent the fastest growing segment of the Puget Sound’s population.
The relationship between Bank of America and the Moriguchi family remains strong. The bank assisted the family in expanding the business and relocating to its current Chinatown location. In addition, through the bank’s support, the Moriguchis are building a new store in Bellevue, which has spurred additional business growth in what was otherwise an empty space.
Tomoko Moriguchi Matsuno, CEO and president of Uwajimaya, said, “The surprise is that we can have such a human relationship with a big, big bank.”
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