Pacific Mercantile Company

Pacific Mercantile celebrated 75 Years in 2020!

The history of Pacific Mercantile Company begins with George Inai, who was born in Tokushima Japan in 1893. He arrived in the U.S. at age 18. He ran a small grocery store in Sacramento, CA until the onset of WWII.

Due to the signing of Executive Order 9066, which ordered 120,000 people on the west coast of Japanese descent into concentration camps, George was imprisoned at the Tule Lake War Relocation Center and later transferred to the Topaz War Relocation Center in Utah.

George had a vision to open another store once the war ended and chose Colorado as the new home for his family. “It was because of Governor Ralph Carr that our grandparents were able to move their family to Colorado”

George Inai founded Pacific Mercantile Company after settling in Colorado post World War II. Inai wanted to name his new store Nippon Market, but Governor Carr deterred him from using that name because of the lingering animosity between Americans and those with Japanese ancestry. After much thought, Inai come up with the name Pacific Mercantile Company because of his connection with California and the Pacific Coast. The store was originally located on Larimer Street and moved to its current location at 1925 Lawrence Street in 1972 when Sakura Square was formed by Japanese American community members as a result of the Denver Urban Renewal Authority initiative.

The Pacific team has maintained its operating hours throughout the pandemic and has experienced an increase in online and shipping orders. All employees wear masks and cleaning throughout the store has increased for the care and safety of the customers. In-demand items have included rice, tofu, canned fish and canned inari (deep fried tofu pockets used to make sushi).

Pacific is now a fourth-generation business with Alyssa, who is currently learning the different aspects of the business, as well as Kelli and Kristi Nagai (Keith’s daughters) in the near future.

States Alyssa: “For me, the store is more than just a place to buy groceries. It’s home. I’ve grown up in Pacific and the people that work here aren’t just employees, they’re family. People don’t come here just to shop, they come for a sense of community.”

“Growing up in the community, I never thought of what it meant to me but now that I’m growing older, I realize that it’s a place where I feel a sense of belonging, people understand who I am. It’s pretty unbelievable to me that the store has been open for 75 years; that my great-grandpa came to America not knowing any English and had this goal to open a store.”

“My family persevered in camp and still managed to keep the store alive and well in an entirely new state. I never thought that this would be where I ended up, but I feel a sense of duty to my family and I honestly can’t imagine a life without Pacific. I want to keep this going as long as possible.”

Jolie adds, “With the legacy of what my grandparents, mother and father, and uncles taught me Pacific Mercantile Company will hopefully be around for another 75 years! We would not be here without the caring families, organizations and partnerships supporting us for all these years. We thank you ALL from the bottom of our hearts.”