Earlier this month, visitors to Yaeko Yamashita’s clothing store on Valencia Street Street near 22nd Street, Laku, found it closed. Instead, there was a note handwritten in pink in the window display.

Yaeko Yamashita sits in front of her store, Laku, with her dog Chabo on Dec. 12, 2023. Photo taken by Junyao Yang. Laku, the 30-year-old Japanese handcraft boutique at 1089 Valencia St. near 22nd ...