Garden of Gems
Custom Jewelry & Repair
668 Quinan Street, Pinole
Open By Appointment
Wednesday-Thursday
10:30am to 4:30pm
(510) 741-5400
gardenofgems@sbcglobal.net
www.gardenofgems.com
Call or E-mail
TODAY
Call First for Watches,
Large Diamonds
& Platinum
SEPTEMBER 2020 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM 23
era America were tenuous and often hostile.
Japantowns and Japanese-American communities
were swallowed and taken by neighboring
communities in the years of their absence, and for
most families, 1945 marked a painful new start.
However, Dianne Brenner explained that
during the Mabuchi’s internment in the Topaz
camp, “their property was preserved for them
by the Fred Conwill family, owners of Tradeway
Furniture, a neighboring business. Thanks to
the Conwill’s efforts, the Mabuchis were able to
resume their business at the original location upon
their release from the internment camp in 1945.”
In 2008, the city bought both the Conwill’s shop
and the Mabuchi’s nursery with plans to demolish
the buildings to make room for a senior apartment
complex. However, Tom Panas, a member of the
Historic Society, catalyzed the preservation of this
building, saying that the building is “something
in which the citizens of El Cerrito should take
pride.” He worked closely with the Japanese
American Citizens League and other members of
the Japanese-American Community along with
Eden Housing, developer of Hana Gardens senior
residence to maintain the shop and its history. The
name “Hana” translates to the word “flower” and
was used as a tribute to the Contra Costa Florist’s
history. The shop’s “storybook-like” architecture
not only adds character to El Cerrito’s commercial
strip, but it also reminds the community of El
Cerrito’s cultural roots of resilience and humility.
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LINO AMARAL
AGENT CA# 0725137
2489 San Pablo Avenue
Pinole, CA 94564
510.724.5432
www.AskLino.com
lino@asklino.com