In 1913, Shoichi Okamura founds the Grand Union Laundry in Seattle's International District, which is called Nihonmachi or Japantown. The laundry, located on Main Street near 14th Avenue, becomes one of the largest employers in the community, employing some 70 workers including washers, dry cleaners, and delivery persons.
By 1940, the Japanese in Seattle operated 90 dry cleaning shops, nearly a quarter of the total.
Sources:
David Takami, Executive Order 9066: 50 Years Before and 50 Years After: A History of Japanese Americans in Seattle (Seattle: Wing Luke Museum, 1992), 19-20.
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