In 1928, Uwajimaya founders Fujimatsu and Sadako Moriguchi opened their first Japanese grocery store in Tacoma. Now, the company their granddaughter runs is returning to the city where Uwajimaya got its start. Plans are in the works to open a new Tacoma store in 2027.
The expansion hits home for CEO Denise Moriguchi, whose grandparents were forced from their business and home during World War II and held at the Tule Lake incarceration camp in California.
“The Tacoma location really raised emotions I didn’t realize were there,” Moriguchi said. “A lot of people know that we were there, and we have roots in the history [and know] how we were forced to leave, and we’re coming back. So, I think it’s also a great story of resilience.”
Uwajimaya’s planned return to Tacoma was first reported by Puget Sound Business Journal reporter Shawna De La Rosa, whose grandfather Godwin “Goodie” Rorem ran a lawnmower sales and repairs business near the original Uwajimaya…