Neighborhood Notes

We've been hearing about this for a while from PDC.  It would be awesome to have Uwajimaya in Old Town/Chinatown.  I make periodic trips to the Beaverton store when I need authentic ingredients for Thai cooking.  The place is amazing and has cheap prices.  A store in OT/CT would be a huge draw, bringing in people from all over the city.  This project has the potential of being a real anchor to the area, drawing more businesses and people, and contributing hugely to the revitalization of OT/CT.

I hope Sockeye Development and the PDC can come to terms on this project.  It is extremely important and would have a huge impact on the neighborhood.

From The Oregonian:

Prospects of an Asian superstore generates excitement among neighbors and business leaders

Uwajimaya Inc., a Seattle-based group of Asian superstores famous for crammed shelves of produce, seafood, delicacies and sundries, is considering a new apt outpost in Portland's new Chinatown/Japantown Historic District.

Combined with office and educational developments in the neighborhood, a Uwajimaya store would add a retail destination of a scale not seen there since the multifloor, warehouse-style Import Plaza closed in 2000.

Fans of Uwajimaya (pronounced ew-wa-ji-maya) typically carve out time to visit the supermarket; newcomers go out of their way to see it. The prospect of an anchor retailer with such a customer draw and Asian roots excites many of the district's business leaders and retailers. They say it would be just the sort of boost the neighborhood needs.

"We try so hard to develop Old Town while keeping its history," said Stephen Ying, president of the Chinese American Citizen Alliance. "This would be a tremendous help to Chinatown."