BEN MATSUMOTO'S GROCERY STORE

Ben Matsumoto, well known in Union City because of his grocery store on Smith Street, was born in Alvarado.  So were his sisters, Grace Handa, Alice Motozaki, and Dorothy Matsumoto.  Ben recalls gambling dens and a Chinatown across the street from his store.  People used to come from Oakland in the evenings after work.  In the mid-1920's, the town decided to clean up the area, so they evicted the tenants and burned the buildings.

Ben Matsomoto's Grocery Store is still existing.

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