And yet it persists, casting suspicion on a group of hard-working people who have gone from bewilderment to anger as the topic refuses to die. Why else would there be so many within a square mile of each other? How else could they stay in business? What else could bring all that traffic of young men and women some evenings, when bridal shops are traditionally closed?
Investigate these businesses that are plaguing our city. Asian Americans accused Walker of racism; he said he merely worried that the bridal shops--which do a large business in rentals and services--generate little sales tax. He lost the April 12 election. Nonetheless, civic leaders said his platform struck a chord, giving public voice to a private concern that has long gnawed at the innards of some residents.
Stachler, a former Temple City businessman, when asked about the bridal shops. Stachler, who raised his family in Temple City and later moved to Arcadia, said of Asian immigrants:.
This goddamned town is ruined. All the homeowners are moving out. A man who identified himself only as Bob said the United States should prohibit immigrants from buying property until they become citizens. The man, whose parents emigrated from Yugoslavia, accused Temple City of being too lenient with Asian immigrants.
The rumors are so pervasive that at least one bridal shop owner found herself fending off would-be johns. A car full of young men once pulled up to her store in the middle of the day. Her store of six years is exactly what it appears, she said. Bridal-shop owners said the suspicions about them illustrate an ignorance of Asia and its customs, where entire city shopping districts are often devoted to one type of business. In Taipei, Taiwan, they said, there is one street lined with 30 or more bridal shops where customers can compare prices and styles.
