Day 63: Lam Brother’s Food Store, Augusta, Georgia
📌APIA Every Day (63) - Lam Brother’s Food Store, situated on D’Antignac St. near 11th Street in Augusta, Georgia, was established by Jack Lam, a Chinese immigrant, in 1941, alongside his father and brother. The building, adorned with a sign in the front window labeled “Old-Fashioned Butcher Shop”, resided in an Irish neighborhood before the implementation of Jim Crow zoning laws. Following his family's departure to other pursuits, Jack independently managed the store for over five decades, also assisting other Chinese immigrants in obtaining U.S. citizenship.
Born in China on December 13, 1920, Jack Lam had been a resident of Augusta since relocating from China in January of 1941. A prominent figure in the business community, he was a member of the Augusta Chamber of Commerce and the Chinese Benevolent Association of Augusta. The Daughters of the American Revolution honored Mr. Lam with the Americanism award and medal in June of 1972. As a member of the First Baptist Church of Augusta, he faithfully attended the Chinese Sunday School Class for over half a century. Jack Lam passed away in 2006 at the age of 85.
Lam departed from the business in the early 1990s, and since then, the building remains unoccupied. Though information about Jack Lam and Lam Brother’s Food Shop is limited, the remnants of Asian-owned businesses in the South offer valuable insights into the hidden histories of Asian Americans in Louisiana.
LEARN MORE:
City of Dust: Death and Loss on D'Antignac Street
The Augusta Chronicle: Featured Obituary: Jack Lam
Facebook: Lam Brother's Food Store Photo
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