Popular Asian grocer returning to its hometown Tacoma with new store in 2027
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- Uwajimaya filed $8M tenant-improvement plans for 3130 S. 23rd St., aiming 2027.
- Company signed lease for former Hobby Lobby site in Central Tacoma.
- Founders started Uwajimaya in Tacoma in 1928; leaders cite legacy and community return.
In December 2024, The News Tribune asked readers what grocery chains, among other businesses, they’d like to see in Pierce County.
At least one of those requested is making a long-awaited return to its home city.
Initial plans were filed Dec. 28 with the City of Tacoma for a new Uwajimaya Asian grocery at 3130 S. 23rd St., the former site of Hobby Lobby (closed in June 2024), just off state Route 16 and Union Avenue. The site is a shadow anchor to Tacoma Central shopping center. Before Hobby Lobby, the site was a Top Food & Drug.
The filing lists the tenant improvement at an estimated $8 million, with initial permits to be filed in April and construction tentatively set to start in July, though dates often change from initial permitting estimates.
Information submitted with the filing, according to city records, describe the project as, “Tenant improvement for a new grocery store with associated retail/restaurant spaces in an existing shell building. Proposed scope of work includes exterior facade improvements and signage installations; construction of new interior partition walls, floor, ceilings; installation of all fixtures, furnishings, and equipment; and all associated mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and refrigeration installations.”
Denise Moriguchi is president & CEO of Uwajimaya. In an email in response to questions, Moriguchi confirmed that the business had signed a lease for the new Tacoma location, with plans to open in 2027.
Uwajimaya was originally founded in Tacoma in 1928 by Fujimatsu and Sadako Moriguchi, who operated the store until the 1940s.
The Moriguchis were swept up in the internment of Japanese Americans after the U.S. entry into World War II. Following their release, they relocated to Seattle, home to the chain’s flagship along with locations in Bellevue, Renton and Beaverton, Oregon.
The fully stocked Asian grocery also features Asian-inspired kitchen and home goods as well as health and beauty products. Its existing stores also offer catering, according to its website.
“The Tacoma location is an opportunity for Uwajimaya to return to its roots,” the company said in its statement about the new store.
Josh Parnell of First Western Properties, along with Justin Holmes, Justice Knox and Lucy Malone represented the landlord, Pietromonaco Jackson Properties “and successfully completed a lease with Uwajimaya,” Parnell said in a statement to The News Tribune. “We were thrilled to get the opportunity to work with these two dynamic Puget Sound companies. They both have amazing history, long term vision for their companies, employees and their investment into our region.”
He added, “Uwajimaya locating a store in Tacoma Central makes perfect sense to serve the entire Pierce County market. There will be an enthusiastic reception when they open.”
Steve Gordon of Gordon Real Estate represented Uwajimaya.
The Tacoma site is its second new store announcement in six months. In July, Uwajimaya announced it would open a location in Issaquah, also set to open in 2027.
“Returning to Tacoma almost a century later is both exciting and deeply significant,” Moriguchi, third-generation leader of the company, said in a statement. “Uwajimaya was founded in Tacoma’s Japantown by my grandparents nearly 100 years ago until they were forced into internment camps during World War II.
“We will honor their legacy as we re-establish Uwajimaya’s presence in this vibrant community.”
This story was originally published January 6, 2026 at 12:52 PM.
