Ah Louis Store

Standing as a cultural landmark today, the Ah Louis Store was the very first Chinese-American store in San Luis Obispo County. It is a two-story, rectangular brick building that once served the growing Chinese population here as a grocery, a general store, an employment office, a post office, a bank, and a pharmacy. It was built in 1874 by On Wong (1840~1936) a Chinese-American banker, farmer, and shopkeeper, who was better known as Ah Louis.

The exterior of the Ah Louis Store is painted white with green trim around the windows. The side walls are bare brick. It features two windows and a door not only on the ground floor but also on the second floor. Iron shutters frame the lower floor windows, and there is an ironwork balcony extending the width of the building above them. Italianate details can be seen in the pronounced brackets near the roof as well as in the projecting cornices above the second-floor windows and door.

Currently listed as a California State Historical Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places, the Ah Louis Store is located at 800 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California 93401. The shop is now owned by Ah Louis's great-grandson, Dr. William Watson. The first floor serves as a gift shop.