Business

Sweet New Business Serves Up Snow

Wednesday, January 14th, 2015

Molokai residents have the hots for an ice-cold hybrid treat: a flavored dessert called snow. It’s the feature of new business Sweet Evie’s Snow Factory, which opened on Molokai last Monday.

“Snow ice is not ice cream, it’s not shave ice, it’s not frozen yogurt. It’s like frozen cotton candy,” said Kalehua Sproat-Augustiro, who opened the shop along with her husband Maka Augustiro.

Unlike shave ice, which is ground into fine granules, snow is shaved into thin slices that, when layered, have the appearance of wrinkled tissue paper. Instead of adding flavored syrups to the ice, the flavors are frozen straight into the ice itself, a concoction of “fruit and juice bases mixed with milk,” which without toppings, amount to fewer than 150 calories a serving, according to Snow Factory Hawaii’s website.…

The Molokai Business Model

Thursday, January 8th, 2015

How local retail stores are staying afloat in a small market

On a typical day, you can cruise through Kaunakakai’s main street in less than a minute. With three compact blocks of stores and eateries, owners must do business with a special delicacy. As the local retail industry grows, they’re navigating new challenges of unexpected competition but are mining their talents and aloha spirit to survive, and that’s why tools like the ai in retail is becoming more important than ever.

In Molokai’s economy, many customers “live paycheck to paycheck,” explained Michelle Hiro, who opened Molokai Cellular in 2008. Business owners said the key to co-existing in a compact, slower-paced setting is respecting each other’s corners of the market.…

Family Revives Salon in Maunaloa

Thursday, January 8th, 2015

Growing up, Leilani Kadowaki was bewildered by beauty salons. In her hometown of Maunaloa, there was a salon called Sheer Delight, and when people went in and emerged with new hairstyles, it puzzled her.

“[I said,] ‘What are you guys doing in there, getting your hair all permed up in those curly things? The lady looks scary,’” Kadowaki remembers with a laugh.

More than 20 years later, hairstyling is one of her passions, and she and her family are bringing the beauty business back to her hometown. Michelle and Raymond Hiro, Kadowaki’s aunt and uncle, helped her open a salon on 100 Maunaloa Highway, in the same spot as the salon of her childhood, which was converted into a Molokai Ranch security office and later went unused for more than a decade, according to Raymond.…

Kupu A`e: From Garage to Storefront

Wednesday, November 26th, 2014

Sitting in her brand-new work studio, local business owner and artist Kala`e Tangonan talks about the Hawaiian mamo. The long-beaked bird, which ali`i prized for its feathers, went extinct more than 100 years ago, a fact that both saddens and inspires Tangonan.

“I thought, ‘I’m gonna make me a mamo,’” Tangonan said, gazing at a line of hanging pareos freshly silkscreened with her hand-drawn mamo. “People can wear him and he can come back alive.”

The desire to weave cultural heritage into art is reflected in the motto of the new business that Tangonan shares with her younger sister Leimana Ritte-Camara and friend Miki`ala Pescaia.…

Deal Off for Tante’s and Hotel

Wednesday, November 26th, 2014

Tante’s Island Cuisine’s contract with Hotel Molokai has been called off. Tante’s owner Tante Urban and Hotel Molokai Manger Micheal Drew both confirmed the Maui-based company will no longer be responsible for management of the hotel’s bar and restaurant, though neither would give a reason. Both called it a “mutual agreement.”

Tante’s at Hotel Molokai had been operating the bar and offering a small grill menu while the hotel’s kitchen is being rebuilt after a fire destroyed it two years ago.

Management deal or not, Drew said kitchen construction is still on schedule to be completed in early 2015.

“We hope to open doors to the public on or before Valentine’s Day,” Drew confirmed.…

Molokai Vendors Take Maui Trade Show by Storm

Wednesday, November 26th, 2014

The owners of 12 Molokai businesses came home from Maui earlier this month with new customers, sales leads, county-wide fans and a great experience. They attended the first-ever Made in Maui County Festival, an event that showcased locally made products from more than 130 vendors at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center.

The positive response to the festival astounded everyone.

Jennifer Hawkins, small business advocate at Molokai’s Kuha`o Business Center, said about 8,000 attendees were anticipated at the event. Yet despite pouring rain throughout the day, more than 9,000 people came. Molokai vendors occupied their own area at the show, marked by green flags, and Hawkins said officials were “in awe” of their presentations and the effort that was put into transporting and showcasing the products.…