There were Japanese businesses along Larimer for several blocks going into the Red Line neighborhoods of Curtis Park and Five Points. There were approximately 30 Japanese-owned grocery stores in these neighborhoods. Sakura Square block was the center of the Japanese community in Denver.

On Lawrence, there was Granada Fish Market and as you went towards the corner, there was a manju and shave ice shop, and then around the corner there were restaurants, a hotel, service providers and other stores including Pacific Mercantile.

Japanese immigrants developed this block and there is a long history of welcoming newcomers. We practice that at the Temple and at Sakura Square at Cherry Blossom Festival and throughout the year. We provide something at Sakura Square that many in our region might not be familiar with through festivals, religion, culture, food and celebration.

I have a lot of memories of Sakura Square. From a young child to coming back in the early 70s after going away to college. Growing up this was the only area and community where you could see a lot of Japanese American faces. Sakura Square provided a grounding area to connect to my heritage.

Denver was one of the connectors and transition areas for a lot of the people leaving camp after World War II – you had Heart Mountain in Wyoming and Amache in southern Colorado and a lot of people came through Denver going either back to the west coast or through to Chicago and east. My father’s family came to Denver after leaving camp in Rohwer, Arkansas. Having family friends who were in Denver after camp made it easier to resettle in the area.

This November marks 80 years for our family business, Pacific Mercantile. The grocery business is hard and for us, it’s a labor of love in service to the Denver community. I recall my grandfather, father and uncles driving to Sedwick, Rocky Ford, Nebraska and Wyoming to bring fresh farm produce from Japanese growers to Denver.