The Chin family in Sam Wah Laundry on Creston Street in the Bronx

In the 1930s, Dong Wong, an Asian-American man, purchased Sam Wah Laundry, which was a laundromat located on Creston Street, Bronx, NY. Even though it was very common to see Asian-owned laundromats in the 1960s and onwards, due to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Wong's hand cleaned laundromat was one of the few businesses that allowed Chinese immigrants to make a living. Wong and his Asian immigrant workers had to make ends meet by working extremely arduous hours around the clock. Working a 12-hour shift or even longer was very common in Asian immigrant laundromats and Wong's was no exception. Wong's laundromat remained family owned until 1982, when the family decided to close the business and move to New Jersey, after the death of Quock Chin. Chin, who married into the Wong family and was the owner of the laundromat, was killed in an attempted robbery. Prior to shuttering the doors, Mrs. Quock Chin contacted MOCA’s staff and offered its contents to the museum’s first project about Chinese laundry workers, Eight Pound Livelihood. MOCA helped Mrs. Quock Chin and her family close up the shop, conducted interviews and documented the historical site. Personal connections and stories within the community, such as the Wong's laundromat, are what constantly fuel MOCA's mission to help reconnect and teach what it truly means to be Chinese in America.