Portland FS Louie Restaurants

One of the cities that became an important anchor for FS and Wai Sue Louie’s restaurant supply business was Portland, Oregon. Not only was the city home to one of the largest Chinese-American populations in the U.S., it was home to a large number of “Louies” and “Chuns”. Located still on NW 4th Ave, the Soo Yuen Association (the Louie family association) and the Gee How Oak Tin Association (the Woo, Chin and Yuen family association), also located on 4th Ave by 1963, would have provided one form of entry into the community for the couple. In fact, many of the Portland Restaurants the couple sold to (at least 14 have been identified so far) were associated with owners or managers who shared a family name with Fawn or Wai Sue. In the following blog posts we’ll write about each of these restaurants and their entangled histories!