San Luis Obispo County CA Archives Photo Place.....Ah Louis, San Luis Obispo 
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AH LOUIS STORE
800 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo

History and Description:

Ah Louis is not an exclamation, but a name.  It belongs to an illustrious
Chinese who, a century ago, participated actively and importantly in America's
western migration.

Ah Louis contracted the Chinese coolie labor which through a decade of bitter
winters and summers, dug the tunnels aid laid the tracks for the historic thrust
of the railroads heading east to meet rail crews building west from Chicago.

After the great enterprise was achieved and the nation had its first
transcontinental route, Ah Louis settled down in San Luis Obispo and began an
import business in his own store which he built with his own two hands from
bricks he made himself, with brick from his own brick yard.  He also made the
bricks for the Pacific Round House and the Sinsheimer Building.

To go back to the beginning, Ah Louis at the age of 21 was known as Wong On.  He
left a village in China to search for gold on the west coast of America.  In
1860 he arrived in California.  He got the name Ah Louis from John Harford.  In
San Luis Obispo he started out as a cook at the French Hotel.

Ah Louis showed a real liking to the community of San Luis Obispo and also
showed an interest in American customs.  At Christmas time he advertised holiday
goods. He also showed recognition of the Fourth of July by decorating his store.

It was in 1805 that Ah Louis drew up a contract with Mr. Alfred Walker to build
a new brick store on the corner of Palm and Chorro Streets.  Ah Louis received
the editorial remark:  "The building is an ornament to that part of the city, as
it would be to any part and shows the proprietor to be an enterprising,
competent businessman."

The Ah Louis Store, State Historical Landmark No. 802, is the first Chinese
store in the county.  It functioned as a bank, counting house, post office and a
general merchandise store where herbs were sold.  The Ah Louis Store, City Hall,
and a few other buildings were the only structures in town not made of wood at
that time.

Now a California State Historical Landmark, the store continues to provide
imports and other gift items to the tourists and residents of San Luis Obispo
and is still run by the Louis family,  Howard Louis now is the operator of the
store.  All eight children of Ah Louis are still living.  Howard Louis majored
in Military Science and graduated from Cal Poly.  His sister graduated from Cal
Poly in 1923.

The store itself has become one of the city's major historic artifacts which
give to it its aura of long ago.

Sources:
Louisiana Dart, Curator, San Luis Obispo County Historical Museum
Howard Louis, manager of the Ah Louis Store
La Vista "Chinese in San Luis Obispo", Patricia Ochs
Record-Searchlight. June 26, 1969


Additional Comments:
Extracted from

Discovering San Luis Obispo County
by
Carleton M. Winslow


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