The Burnside Blog
Old Town Uwajimaya Would Be Best Thing Ever For You and Me
Thanks to my friend Cuisine Bonne Femme at Portland Food and Drink for plugging the Burnside Blog and for being the first in PDX to dedicate more than a fleeting column inch to the proposed Uwajimaya slated for that giant surface parking lot that’s framed by streets Couch and Davis and Third and Fourth Avenue. As proposed, a 30,000-square foot Uwajimaya supermarket would anchor the block with housing and additional retail in the mix.
Let me speak for the downtown demographic because I am that demographic: condo dweller, carless, etc. I walk or take the streetcar nearly everywhere, but there are two large retail establishments on the PDX periphery for which I will rent an automobile to visit: Ikea and Uwajimaya. There are no Asian markets in the Central City other than the Lloyd District’s Anzen, which is a great store but pretty small. If there has ever been an egalitarian proposal for Downtown, this is it. Uwajimaya is as famous for its affordable fresh fish and high-quality produce as its amazing selection of Belgium beer and artisan sake. And so far, the only Portland location of the Belleview-based mini chain resides in Beaverton.
A large Japanese retailer would link Old Town to its past. Take a visit to Old Town’s Nikkei Legacy Center, and you will know what most Portlanders don’t: that until World War II (internment), what we call Old Town or Chinatown was had one of the highest concentration of Japanese residents and Japanese businesses in the country. This development would revitalize the neighborhood by providing a destination (I for one wouldn’t have to rent a car and head to the burbs) and link Old Town to its diverse past. Shouldn’t the city and PDC penny up and support this thing?
By Mike Thelin on Wednesday, March 05, 2008 at 12:29PM PST
Fubon is nice, but I don’t like it quite as much as Uwajimaya. I really like the prepared foods at Uwajimaya: the spinach salad in particular. Plus, the seafood is of higher grade at Uwajimaya. I adore that tiny bakery in the Fubon complex. There’s also this other market close to Wong’s King Seafood on like 84th and Division. It’s tiny and doesn’t look like much, but has the most incredible selection of tea and the cheapest live crab I’ve ever seen.
Still, while I don’t mind the occasional 45-minute bus ride from my house near PGE Park to 82nd Avenue I’d rather just walk to Old Town. Where Portland falls short in offering a full urban experience are the likes of ethnic amenities in the center of town. If I need coconut milk, where can I get it downtown for less than $2 per can?
By on Thursday, March 06, 2008 at 10:01AM PST
Yes, they should. The Uwajimaya project is a great opportunity. It would provide a wonderful resource of fresh asian foods in the city core. This would draw people from the inner city to the location, creating a more vibrant atmosphere in c-town. By adding the proposed housing on top of the store, the neighborhood starts to create the critical mass needed for further development. For the city this means more tax dollars in the long run.
By Steven Ludlow on Saturday, March 08, 2008 at 09:06AM PST
Yeah, but I’ll be everything I have in my back pocket that the city will screw this one up. Did you know btw, that Uwajimaya approached the PDC several years ago to build an Uwajimaya and PDC turned them away?
By Skinn City Girl on Wednesday, March 05, 2008 at 12:14PM PST
Mike, you should check out Fubon on SE 82nd. It is incredible and you can get there via transit.