Oriental Place

Every month, NIOSC hosts a coffee. Luck for us, this month was at Oriental Place, a Chinese antique furniture store. Aside from the great food and lovely furniture, the owner opened up about her lifelong endeavors and how the store came about.

Yuki, the store owner, sharing her family photo album with us.

She wrote out her story (starting around age 2 to current) and let a NIOSC member, Christa, read it to the group. She was the youngest of seven children and, prior to the Cultural Revolution, her family lived very well. Her father had American cars and a Harley Davidson, most American appliances and lots of house-staff.

Her family went through hell and back with the majority of their family heirlooms being destroyed. It took Yuki many years to be able to discuss her past and I feel incredibly fortunate to be one of the people that has heard it. I don't want to tell the whole story for her, but I'll tell you a little about how she came to Okinawa.

There was a couple that visited China because the wife had cancer and they were hoping that there would be medicinal options there because they had exhausted their westernized options. While there, they asked Yuki to be there nanny in Okinawa. Before she could arrive, the wife passed away. However, the husband followed through with their plans and hired Yuki to watch over his two children. A few years later, they got married.

Eventually, her friends convinced her that she needed to open a store. Now, she travels many miles and hours to find the lovely pieces that you can find in her store today. She has books of Polaroids that you can look at to see how the pieces are used in Chinese homes and other magazines to look at. If you find something that you love, Yuki will make it her personal mission to find that piece for you. On top of that, she offers a layaway program where you pay, I think, 30% down and have 6-months to pay off the balance.

Many of my friends are loyal customers and I can see why! Yuki is such a gracious and amazing person. Her demeanor and friendliness, literally, compels you to buy something! I, by no means, gave her story justice and it's worth hearing the whole thing!

So, if you are looking for a unique piece for your home, stop in to Oriental Place (or checkout her online showroom). Yuki will be happy to show you around and answer any of your questions.

*Thanks NIOSC for all of the photos*