In San Francisco’s Japantown, Soko Hardware celebrates its 100th anniversary

By John Ramos

San Francisco is a city rich in history, but it’s important to remember that history is still being made every day. On Saturday, in the City’s Japantown neighborhood, a legacy business was honored for reaching its 100th anniversary after surviving a lot of challenges, including a World War.

If there is such a thing as a neighborhood institution, in Japantown it would be Soko Hardware.  But Philip Ashizawa, who grew up in the store, said the 100th anniversary kind of snuck up on him.

“The daily routine of coming to the store every day just adds up, I guess,” he said. “You don’t really realize it until you hit that milestone.”

His grandparents opened the store in 1925, but in a neighborhood of Japanese immigrants, it also offered merchandise aimed at its local clientele.

“Housewares, woodworking tools, tea ceremony things,” he said, “a lot of things pertaining to the Japanese culture.”

These days, the store serves as a cultural tourist stop.  Alongside the plumbing hardware and shovels, there are artistic serving plates, traditional tea sets, Bonsai pruning shears and objects of traditional art. 

But the store did have one interruption when the owners were rounded up and sent to the Topaz Internment Camp in Utah during WWII.  Luckily, Philip’s grandparents were able to hide a bunch of their inventory in a warehouse on Van Ness Avenue before being shipped out.

“So, when they came back after the internment, they had merchandise to sell,” he said. “So, that gave them a jumpstart in the business. As soon as we got back, everyone wanted housewares and everything they needed to restock their houses with.”

The rest, as they say, is history.  And that history was recognized at a ceremony in the plaza outside the store, although Philip, who’s a bit reserved about such things, admitted they had to shame him into attending.

“They’re having a little celebration out here and I was kind of resistant at first. But everyone keeps telling me, ‘You have to do this.’ Ok, I have to do this,” he said, with a laugh.

The mayor offered a proclamation, and there were speeches from local business leaders…

“J-Town is very fortunate to have this legacy business continue for the past 100 years,” said Grace Horikiri with the Japantown Community Benefit District.  “And hopefully for another 100 years to come.”

The store was originally across the street but moved into its current location after the war. Since then, Philip said, the business survived when a lot of others didn’t because his family owned the property and didn’t have to deal with escalating rent prices.  

But it was Philip’s son David, who is in line to take over the store, who gave the best explanation of why the business has been able to survive for so long.

“Honestly, I think it’s important just to have continuity,” he said.  “A lot of people in the neighborhood kind of appreciate seeing a familiar set of faces, seeing a lot of familiar things being sold in the same place, year after year.  And I think in times of turmoil and change, I think it can be very comforting to people to have that.”

As for Philip, he was just ready to start the second century.

“Thank you very much,” he told the crowd.  “And I gotta get back to work.”

Soko Hardware has seen its share of turmoil and change and it remains a comfort for people looking for something to hold on to.