 Owner Claire Takashima, granddaughter of founder Saijiro Uyeda, holds samples of recording artist and regular customer Yvonne Elliman’s favorite shoes. With members from the Uyeda family
By Erika Engle Published in the Honolulu Star Advertiser Uyeda Shoe Store in Moiliili is a third-generation family business that turns 100 this year and will relocate — but not for a while and not too far away. Claire Takashima's mother dug up an old picture of Claire's grandfather in the family's first store on Fort Street in Honolulu, which specialized in shoe repair. "That's an Edison light bulb," as in Thomas Edison, she said, pointing at a bare bulb in the photo. The family business was established in 1915 after Takashima's grandfather Saijiro Uyeda and grandmother Hatsuno immigrated to Hawaii from Japan. The couple's eight children grew up in and around the store. Because even the best shoes can be repaired only so many times, the decision was made to also sell new shoes. "My grandmother put a little showcase in the store," Takashima said, and over time, sales of new shoes supplanted the repair business.
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