LOS ANGELES — For 75 years, the popular gift shop Bunkado in Little Tokyo has never closed for longer than three days. That is, until COVID-19 hit.

Irene Tsukada Simonian is the third generation in her family to run the shop and, out of an abundance of caution, decided to close right after the holidays. More than anything, she misses seeing her customer’s eyes light up when they find that unique item they want to buy for someone special.

"Being here on any given day is like watching performance art," said Tsukada Simonian. "There is never a dull moment. It never gets boring, and I think especially it’s because it’s a small ethnic community like ours in a great city like L.A. It’s really amazing here."

Bunkado first opened in 1946 right after World War II by Tsukada Simonian's great-aunt and uncle, and quickly became a popular shopping spot for hard-to-find Japanese gifts, decor, housewares, books, music, and toys. Tsukada Simonian started working in the store in 1992 to help her parents manage it, and once her mother died, she took over.