Mom-and-Pop Stores

[SusieMisajon]

Re: Mom-and-Pop Stores

That's some old memories there. Mescalitos and India Imports. I used to buy black light posters there. I wonder if Hawaii's Natural High across the Waikik Post Office still sells those drug paraphanailas?

I am getting to be an old woman.

[AbsolutChaos]

Re: Mom-and-Pop Stores

I wonder if Hawaii's Natural High across the Waikik Post Office still sells those drug paraphanailas?

It sure does! (Not that I would know from personal experience.) It's the place to go to buy a lot of tickets for various local band concerts around here too.

There's a new place in town for "smoking" stuff....Pipedreams Smokeshop in downtown. They've been trying to pull people in by promoting free wine and live music during Gallery Hops, but they are located more toward the fringe of Downtown, in the Chinatown area, away from most of the galleries, so I wonder how they'll survive...

[1stwahine]

Re: Mom-and-Pop Stores

There's a new place in town for "smoking" stuff....Pipedreams Smokeshop in downtown. They've been trying to pull people in by promoting free wine and live music during Gallery Hops, but they are located more toward the fringe of Downtown, in the Chinatown area, away from most of the galleries, so I wonder how they'll survive...

heheheh They'll survive in Chinatown! They get plenty smokers dea.

Auntie Lynn

[timkona]

Re: Mom-and-Pop Stores

The loss of M&P stores is the result of modern zoning practice. Separating residential from commercial from industrial from schools is a practice that only started in the last 50 or so years. Used to be that use of land was all mixed up, and you would find houses next to apartments next to M&P stores next to schools next to factories. And lots of folks lived upstairs on the 4th floor. Now we have subdivisions with 10000 sf per lot, and the distances have become too far for people to walk comfortably. When you hear people talk who desire "low-density" growth, you can be certain that they don't understand the tragic implication of their position.

A lot of things changed 100 years ago when the automobile became popular.

[SusieMisajon]

Re: Mom-and-Pop Stores

The loss of M&P stores is also because it is usually cheaper to buy from the big names, that get a better discount on their own 'bulk buys'.

M&P stores are but a little picture....Buy cheap from Walmart and kill your local store, and make China work harder, and get richer.

[mamapuleta]

Aloha from Indiana!

I'm a newbie here, and man what a lot of stuff you people got going on here! Luv it..like a kid in a candy store..don't know where to start..but here goes - mom and pop stores in Palama of the 50's and 60's..

At one end of the hood on Palama St. was Loo Store. I used to go there every morning to buy two loaves of Top Hat bread. It was $.20 each. Right across from Loo still on Palama, sat a mom and pop which had a side that opened onto Austin Lane, and another onto Palama St. Heading toward King St. at the corner of Palama and Kanoa St. and directly across from the banyan tree, was still another mom and pop, and the mom and pop of all moms and pops, Tamashiro Market, sits even today, I think, at King and Palama.

At the other end of the hood was Sam Lum Store on the corner of Peterson Lane and King St. Directly across the little one way alley street was Sakamoto Store. Sugiyama was across King St. There were several two or three other little stores which names I don't remember, but by far Sam Lum was the best.

It stayed open late. At least until 10. Sometimes my brothers would send me to the store after the 8 o'clock curfew whistle blew, and I lived in fear of the day someone squealed to my mother. Then there was the soda cooler..stick your hand into all that melted ice, and your hair would stand up! (They must have grounded it sometimes, because it didn't always shock you). Also, Lum Store had the best ice cake, the best grab bags, the biggest dry squid, and the best candy selection. Three generations lived at the store. Later they moved residence to Mililani.

I think the store stayed open into the late 80's anyway. My daughter once vacationed in the Islands and brought me back some pictures of the old hood and by golly, there it was, boarded up and all but it was still there.

Peace.

[Lei Liko]

Re: Mom-and-Pop Stores

I love hearing your memories of Liliha/Palama/Kapalama mom and pop stores because they're bringing back so many good memories.

My fondest memory growing up was daddy picking me up from school and then taking me to that store across Likelike School for Icee and Pork Hash. I also had relatives who lived behind the store on Panalaau as well.

A few years ago I stopped in to find out that the lady's still there. Grandma's since passed, but their son (who's around my age) still comes around -- he has a family of his own now!

[1stwahine]

Re: Mom-and-Pop Stores

I love hearing your memories of Liliha/Palama/Kapalama mom and pop stores because they're bringing back so many good memories.

My fondest memory growing up was daddy picking me up from school and then taking me to that store across Likelike School for Icee and Pork Hash. I also had relatives who lived behind the store on Panalaau as well.

A few years ago I stopped in to find out that the lady's still there. Grandma's since passed, but their son (who's around my age) still comes around -- he has a family of his own now!

I'm happy to report the Mom & Pop Store across Likelike is still there selling Icee, Pork Hash, Manapua and other goodies to the children after school as well to the neighborhood!

Auntie Lynn

[1stwahine]

Re: Mom-and-Pop Stores

According to Eric http://www.hawaiistories.com/eric/20...shimazu-store/ ...Shimazu Store (formerly B&S Store) is open for business! Serving the same onolicious Shave Ice ~ juss in time foa summer!

Auntie Lynn

[SusieMisajon]

Re: Mom-and-Pop Stores

What eight o'clock curfew whistle?!

[D'Alani]

Re: Mom-and-Pop Stores

What eight o'clock curfew whistle?!

I think she means the whistle that blew at 8:00pm every night except Sunday. It was the whistle that signified dinner break for the night shift at Hawaiian Pine Cannery. I think a lot of parents in the area told their kids it was a curfew whistle to be sure that we got our okoles in the house. I lived up by School and Aupuni across Ayala's and heard it every night. My mother worked at the cannery so that's how I know about the whistle.
M&P stores around the Lanakila and Kapalama area were also in abundance. There was a Budget Center that was like a mini market where they had a pharmacy. There was a great okazuya named McIrnerny Delicatessen that had ono salad, sushi, and ice cake.

[SusieMisajon]

Re: Mom-and-Pop Stores

Thanks. Over here we get church bells....same kinda thing.

[1stwahine]

Re: Mom-and-Pop Stores

Remembering Mom & Pops in Kalihi/Palama is making me hungry foa Dried Watermelon Seeds. Wat was the odda one...the small wet kine dat look like pebbles. Dat was ono.

Dey use to put it in small brown paper packages.

Ahhh.. the memories.

Auntie Lynn

[lurkah]

Re: Mom-and-Pop Stores

Remembering Mom & Pops in Kalihi/Palama is making me hungry foa Dried Watermelon Seeds.

There you go talking about food again. I remember had one small store (might still be there) on the corner of Waiakamilo Rd. and Colburn St. (other side of Boulevard Saimin) where I could buy those large chunks of real, dried abalone, fairly cheap too. Those were the days.

[1stwahine]

Re: Mom-and-Pop Stores

There you go talking about food again. I remember had one small store (might still be there) on the corner of Waiakamilo Rd. and Colburn St. (other side of Boulevard Saimin) where I could buy those large chunks of real, dried abalone, fairly cheap too. Those were the days.

Yep! it's still there if you'e talking about the one next to Midas.

Hmmmm...Albalone. Cheap. I must go check it out. I love Albalone. Sliced thin on a bed of cabbage with shoyu and chile pepper or mustard.

And there's albalone soup too!

I hungry.

Back on topic. Fujii Store on N. King Street has been open over 60+ years. Of course the original owners were the Fujii Sisters. They sold it to the present owner almost twenty years ago. He has kept the name Fujii Store so everybody calls him "Fujii" although he is Korean.

Auntie Lynn