A u g u s t 17, 2011
a'*?r ÿ * o r t lattò (Observer
Mississippi
Alberta
North Portland
' / VCiAz* *
Special Edition
Page 13
Vancouver
East County
Beaverton
Southeast
neighborhood
grows with
Asian flair
by M indy C ooper
T he P ortland O bserver
Although China Town in Old Town prides
itself on being one of the oldest neighbor
hoods in Portland, there’s a new China Town
on the eastside that proving itself as an even
more popular destination for residents and
shoppers.
Along Southeast 82nd Avenue from Stark
Street to Clinton Street, you can observe the
impact of the new China Town, with its
growing base of stores driven by traditional
Asian culture.
“A lot of people say that 82nd is the new
China town because a lot of people and
stores are here,” said Jessica Jang, an em
ployee of the Wing Ming Herbs shop at 82nd
and Division. Originally from China, Jang
has lived in Portland for the past three years.
A natural herbal and dietary supplement
center, the store is packed with traditional
Chinese medicines and other Asian prod
ucts. It’s one of the many businesses in the
neighborhood which is bringing people from
all over the city.
A lot of culture exists in the area, said Jang,
because a lot of people move to Portland
directly from China and other parts in Asia,
and then settle in the southeast Portland
neighborhood.
“People move from Old Town-China Town
too,” she said. “They say here is very con
venient.”
Agnes Yu, the daughter of the founders of
the 10-year-old herbs shop, agreed.
She said most of the products within the
store come from Asia, including China, Ja
pan, Taiwan, and Singapore. Wing Ming is
the only shop that is 100 percent herbal
within the greater Portland area, said Yu.
On Wednesday last week, Yu walked
continued
on page 18
photos by M indy C ooper /T he P ortland O bserver
Agnes Yu helps a customer purchase fish oil from her parent’s Wing Ming Herbs shop, which is located in Portland’s ‘New
China Town,' a neighborhood packed with Asian-related business around Southeast 82nd Avenue and Division Street.