Suehiro Cafe 50th Anniversary x CRFT by Maki Collaboration

As I grew up I’d end up there after Junior YBA meetings and then when I was old enough to drink, my friends and I would end up at Suehiro after stopping through Oiwake. It’s hard to imagine J-town without Suehiro Cafe. It’s straight up Japanese comfort food made by a Little Tokyo auntie. And that auntie knew everyone’s name and what they wanted to eat. 

Our design is based on the vintage tees that Suehiro Cafe had in the 90s and early 2000s. Back in the day Suehiro Cafe used to sell cigarettes (yes, smoking indoors was a thing) and matchbooks which were available in different colorways provided by the manufacturer. Junko Suzuki, the original owner of Suehiro Cafe and current owner Kenji’s mom, made t-shirts to match those matchbooks; and the tile, and the chairs, and the menu. The woman had a vision and executed, this collaboration pays homage to that era of Suehiro Cafe.

My business opened in Little Tokyo two months before the pandemic began. Two years has passed and its been one of the roughest experiences of my life but the knowledge and history that's been passed by members of historic First Street is priceless. It’s with great pride that I collaborate with legacy businesses and seek ways to share their stories with new audiences on unfamiliar platforms to them. And its clear to me why small businesses like Suehiro Cafe have survived displacement after displacement, crisis after crisis. I am in a neighborhood of small business owners that looks out for each other in the worst of times and I certainly wouldn’t be here without my neighbors and the J-town community.

Saturday, June 25th will be a busy day in Little Tokyo. LTCC’s annual event Delicious Little Tokyo will be that weekend and we’re honored to be a part of an event that brings so many visitors to the neighborhood. We love when you hang out with us on social media or buy from our website, but this drop has a piece of J-town legacy that I hope you all can feel apart of.