by Noriko Kageki
Reiko Itamura started working at the JAMsj Museum Store in 2003 when she retired from working in the accounting department at a defense company. "After retirement, I missed the connection with people, and working in the museum gave that back to me," says Reiko, who is now the organizer and scheduler for the 18 active volunteer members that work at the store.
The Museum Store is open four days a week – Thursday through Sunday – from noon to 4:00 pm. Each volunteer comes in once or twice a month to make sure that all the items, including books, DVDs, and cards, are nicely organized and to help the visitors look for things to purchase. In addition to working in the Store, the volunteers also act as “back up” to the Reception Desk
Reiko with her grandniece
"I really enjoy interacting with the visitors, says Janet Namba, one of the Museum Store volunteers. “They come from the Midwest, the East Coast, and all over the country,” she says. While growing up in Detroit, her parents and grandparents never talked about their experiences during the war, Janet recalls. And it was after she moved to California and then later through her work at JAMsj that she began to learn about Japanese American history. "For me, it’s very interesting to learn about how the visitors came to know about us and to hear what their take was after going through the museum.”
“The purpose of the Museum Store is to generate income to carry out the Museum’s mission, which is to highlight and preserve the Japanese American history,” says Reiko. It is important that the store sells educational material, such as books and DVDs, for the students that come on school tours and other visitors that want to learn more. But is there a way to increase the income at the store?
Reiko came up with the idea to start the “Vintage Sales” section at the Museum Store. An increasing number of people were donating Imari dishes, dolls, and other beautiful items, which JAMsj sells once a year at the Vintage Sale in the JAMsj parking lot during Nikkei Matsuri.. But there was space at the Museum Store. Why not sell them year-round? It turned out to be a great idea not only because they generate more income for the museum, but “the items find good homes as they get purchased by people that are appreciative of them,” says Reiko.
Both Reiko and Janet started volunteering at the museum after retirement, but they are delighted to see the younger generation take leadership in continuing the mission of JAMsj.
Michael Taheri
One such young volunteer at the Museum Store is Michael Taheri, who became involved with JAMsj in 2018 when he was still a student at Santa Clara University. Together with his business management classmates, he worked on a project on how to utilize the historical Kawakami Family house to support the future of JAMsj. After starting to volunteer at the store, Michael, whose mother is Japanese, was pleasantly surprised to find out that the visitors came not only from all parts of the United States but from all types of backgrounds, and were not just people of Japanese descent. “It’s great to learn about how the Japanese American community has evolved over the past 100 years and I’m happy to help so that history is not forgotten," he says. As with any museum, he feels that it is challenging to make the exhibits attractive to the younger people and says that moving forward he would enjoy finding ways to make that happen.
Mimi Suga, another volunteer at the Museum Store, sums it up. “Volunteering at the JAMsj Museum Store is the perfect opportunity to help collect, preserve, and share our Japanese American history, culture, and arts. And being part of the JAMsj family is another important benefit of working in the store. Being able to connect with other volunteers is something that we now miss (due to COVID-19) and we are looking forward to returning sooner than later.”
Thank you to all of the JAMsj Museum Store Volunteers
Susan Nakamura
Rosie Ozuna
Gail Sugihara-Bush
Michael Taheri
Christopher Hope
Diane Jew
Shirley Masunaga
Janet Namba
Bobbie Shiraki
Nancy Suko
Patty Arakaki
Vickie Ishimaru
Sharon Kamimoto
Dave Matsuoka
Jeanne Ohara
Mimi Suga
Carol Takeda
Tess Carson
Reiko Itamura
Joanne Makishima
Thank you to all who support the JAMsj Museum Store
Jim Nagareda
Joyce Yamamoto
Ken Hirano
Eureka Wang
Denise Hayashi
Cheryl Koshiro
Danny Yamada
Chris Hioki
Noriko Kageki is a JAMsj Volunteer.