Viet Wah Grocery

1032 S Jackson Street

Viet-Wah Grocery sign, Seattle, October 15, 2020, HistoryLink photo by David Koch
Viet-Wah Grocery entrance, Seattle, October 15, 2020, HistoryLink photo by David Koch
Viet-Wah Group building, 424 10th Ave S, Seattle, October 15, 2020, HistoryLink photo by David Koch
Viet-Wah Superfoods, S Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Seattle, May 28, 2007, Photo by Vmenkov (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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1032 S Jackson Street

This landmark is the first Vietnamese-owned grocery store in the CID and near the business heart of Little Saigon. As an area that was once known for African American small businesses and jazz clubs, this neighborhood started to shift into one of Southeast Asian identity in the mid- to late-1970s and as Vietnamese immigrants and refugees settled in Seattle. Within four years, the small Jackson Street grocery store that was intended to provide familiar foods and produce to serve the growing Seattle Vietnamese community. The store filled a gap in the grocery retail market and met the needs of a population wanting the products and tastes of their homeland. The business expanded from its original 700 square feet to its current location in 1988 and is a major supplier of Asian foods for restaurants and retailers throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Walk back to 12th Avenue S, cross to the east side, and turn right. Walk south to King Street and turn left.

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