Tsuda's shuts its doors

Their family has survived deaths, many births, economic ups and downs and one world war.Now, after 88 years in business, the Tsuda family, owners of Tsuda Grocery in Old Town Auburn are closing its doors for good."I have mixed feelings about it," said Dorothy Fujii, who has helped run the store with her sister Mae Ebara since last year. "I am really going to miss the people - not the work so much, but seeing the same people come in every day. That's what makes it hard to leave."At age 85, Fujii and Ebara, 88, said they are getting older and are no longer able to run the store on their own."I live in Granite Bay now and have a beautiful new granddaughter," Ebara said. "I really want to spend some time at home - with my family."The store was first opened in 1918 by Katsuichi "George" Tsuda and his wife Tomo. The original store was located in what is now Serendipity.When World War II began, several local Japanese citizens were sent to internment camps and Asian-owned farms and businesses, including Tsuda's, were closed in 1942.After the war, Tsuda's reopened in a different building, with its original structure remaining boarded up for many years. "During the war, we were relocated and interned at Tule Lake," Fujii said. "A lot of Japanese families lived in ranches up here, but after the war, they didn't come back. When our family moved back here, we purchased this property from the Auburn Buddhist Church in 1951."Frank Tsuda, Fujii's brother, took over the store and ran it until he died April 23, 2006 at the age of 93.The store has since continued to sell general grocery items, Asian food items, Japanese chinaware and collectibles.The family plans to rent out the building and say they have received interest from restaurateurs and retailers, but haven't decided on who to rent it to yet.Friends of the family and neighbors say they are going to miss having the store, and having Ebara and Fujii around."I came in here about five times a week - this was my grocery store," said long-time Auburn resident Robert Cardenas. "I am really going to miss coming in here and I really don't want them to go."Robyn Fujii, Dorothy Fujii's daughter, said she too will miss the family business but she is glad to move forward."It's sad that we aren't going to be able to carry on the tradition of having a family business here in Old Town," she said. "But it is good that we will be able to move on as a family and realize that times have changed - it's kind of like we are off-loading the old and bringing in the new."Jewelry designer Linda Roberts, of neighboring business Sierra Moon Goldsmiths, said she understands the family's decision and while she supports them, will miss having them a few steps away."They are very special and very sweet people," Roberts said. "It is kind of like losing a part of our family, but it's a good and necessary thing for them. It is hard to see them go - the have been a part of our everyday lives and they have definitely touched our hearts."The Journal's Jenna Nielsen can be reached at jennan@goldcountrymedia.com.Tsuda saleThe owners of Tsuda's in Old Town Auburn will host a sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 28 and 29 at the store. The will be selling all of the store's remaining contents which include collectibles, shelving and refrigeration units. For more information, call (530) 885-5820.