High
Hope for "AOI"
by Nancy Kikuchi
(Dec. 2001)
BY LINE
I am the Little Tokyo area Business Counselor for the Little Tokyo
Service Center Community Development Corporation. I can be reached at
213-473-1658 and nkikuchi@fc.ltsc.org.
I assist business owners draft marketing plans, package loans, and
deal with government agencies. I also put on seminars regarding tax
matters, health department issues and accessing capital. Each month, I
will highlight a particular business or business owner in Little
Tokyo. This month, I am featuring Aoi Restaurant on the north side of
First Street, between Judge John Aiso Street and Central Avenue.
AOI
RESTAURANT
 If
you’re familiar with historic First Street in Little Tokyo, you’ve
probably seen the green fabric sign with the capital letters "A O
I" written in yellow. That’s Aoi Restaurant, which has been
doing business at that location for the past 23 years. I met the
owner, Mrs. Hiroko Yamagata, after she called LTSC (my employer)
asking for assistance in replacing her sign.
I have been in this job for 18 months
and during that time, I’ve been assisting new shop owners put up
signage as the businesses changed hands, so I had a couple of
contacts. However, upon meeting her, I found that Mrs. Yamagata
already had a sign maker in mind, and the design, as well.
POTPOURRI
OF INFORMATION
Of all the restaurants in Little Tokyo,
Aoi Restaurant ranks as one of the most affordable meals one can get
nowadays. It’s specialties include its tempura and teriyaki dishes.
To me, I’m reminded of delicious home cooking – and the portions
are ample, as well. Because the restaurant has been there for over 23
years, there are many customers who come regularly to dine there.
In a survey that I distributed last
year, I asked about their customer profile, and Aoi reported that 45%
of its patrons speak only Japanese, 45% speak English and 10% speak
other, including Chinese and Spanish. Much of their lunch crowd comes
from city hall and the surrounding government and office buildings. I
was there on a Saturday night recently and it was packed; I bumped
into some old friends there, too.
GETTING
AOI RESTAURANT A NEW SIGN
As much as I wanted to help Mrs.
Yamagata replace her sign as soon as possible, I thought Aoi
Restaurant would benefit more by participating in the Commercial
Property Improvement Program sponsored by the Community Redevelopment
Agency ("CRA") of the City of Los Angeles. Through this
program, the CRA has already fixed up and repaired many of the facades
of the storefronts in Little Tokyo. This has been such a popular
program that many business and property owners have sent in
applications hoping to be approved for the matching funds, as well as
the outright grants that are provided by the CRA.
I had recently heard the CRA would
start a new round of facade improvements and I asked Mrs. Yamagata if
she wanted to wait. She said yes.
CURRENT
FACADE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
Luckily, in August of this year, the
CRA notified property owners in the Little Tokyo area that it would be
sponsoring another phase of the Facade Improvement Program. I obtained
an application package and met with Mrs. Yamagata. We completed the
application, supplied all the requested supporting documentation, and
submitted the package. As of this writing, we are still awaiting word
on whether Aoi Restaurant will be selected as a recipient. Please keep
your fingers crossed for her.
In the meantime, stop on by for lunch
or, better yet, dinner. The restaurant’s friendly atmosphere will
surely warm you up on a cold autumn night.
Aoi Restaurant is located at 331 East
First Street in Little Tokyo.
(213) 624-8260
It’s open M-F 11:15 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
W-Sat 5:00 p.m.– 9:30 p.m.
Sun 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
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