From 1906 to 1950, the Hillyard Hand Laundry supported the Shiosaki family and served as an essential business that united the Japanese American community in Spokane.

Fred Shiosaki, the son of Kisaburo and Tori Shiosaki, was a second-generation Japanese American (or nisei in Japanese terminology) who faced challenges enlisting in the U.S. Army. Initially classified as a 4C “enemy alien,” Fred was unable to serve until 1949, when he joined the all-Japanese 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

During the war, the Kisaburo family continued to provide laundry services in the Hillyard neighborhood, as Spokane was just outside the West Coast “exclusion zone.” This zone, established by the United States government, displaced Japanese Americans from their homes on the West Coast to Japanese internment camps across the country.

Despite racially driven boycotts against local Japanese businesses, community members reinvested in the laundromat’s services, recognizing its vital role in cleaning industrial clothing. Renamed “Hillyard Laundry and Dry Cleaning” in 1950, the business continued serving the community into the 1990s.

Today, the Hillyard Hand Laundry’s legacy stands as a poignant reminder of Japanese American perseverance and vital role in shaping Hillyard’s social fabric, and as a testament to the enduring strength of community and cultural heritage.