In Madrona, people have wondered about a new shop being developed near 34th Avenue and East Union Street. By the time they head out to go trick-or-treating, they'll find the space occupied by Okazu Vend, the new sister location to Rainier Beach's Umami Kushi.
Owned by Harold Fields, he has served hand-sized cultural fusion fare called okazu pan in Rainier Beach for the past 10 years. The dishes bring together flavors from the Philippines, Japan, and other regions. Fields says people and creativity have kept Umami Kushi moving forward. "There are a lot of challenges, as you know, to operate a retail business," Fields said. "Support from the community is one thing. You also have to have that secondary support system of consistent customers."
The name of the new location — Okazu Vend — blends "okazu," the Japanese word for a dish eaten with rice, and "vend," to sell. The location comes with a small floor plan, and keeping that in mind, Fields is going with layout ideas that favor grab-and-go service over a full kitchen. Even with the new space in Madrona, he intends to keep the Rainier Beach site open.
While running his South End business, Harold has supported the community by advocating for economic development, to improve financial stability in an area, and better transportation for Rainier Beach. "There is a plan that I put together that is the Rainier Beach shuttle. It's a small bus shuttle series that connects the light rail and goes through the neighborhood," said Fields.
With his connection to Rainier Beach, Fields never considered Madrona as a business option until he was contacted by Molly Moon Neitzel, owner of Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream, who was closing her Madrona location and looking for a business to fill the space. In September, Molly Moon's blog announced, "After 15 years of scooping in this little corner of the neighborhood (since 2011!), we're closing our Madrona shop on Sunday, September 13th."
Later, the blog posted, "The space won't be empty for long — our friend Harold Fields has signed a lease to bring Umami Kushi back into this spot. We couldn't be happier knowing it's staying in good hands."
"I'm grateful to Molly for reaching out to me," said Fields. "She's always known that I have an appreciation for a space that small."
Recently, Fields has paused his community advocacy work in Rainier Beach and likely won't have capacity for it in Madrona. "I've had to pull back doing that stuff because it takes an incredible amount of time, and I just got to the point where I really had to focus on the business. I had to get back to some of the basics of operating here," said Fields.
With extra time, Fields focused on the creativity of opening a new location. He'll incorporate the bright and expressive characters that make up the brand, as well as including a walk-up window in the new location.
And while Fields might not have capacity to advocate like before, he wants the two shops to act as a bridge between the neighborhoods and contribute to economic development. "This feels like it could be a good bridge to continue to connect, from the Rainier Beach neighborhood to another," said Fields.
"What I'm hopeful for, [what] I've always wanted to do, is let my brand, let my product, let who I am as an individual speak to the quality of what I bring to the table," said Fields. "That will out-trump any advocacy work that people would be expecting me to do."
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