Waikiki Au Naturel
There are plenty of great restaurants in Waikiki where you can eat lunch, enjoy the view and remind yourself you are lucky you live Hawaii. But for a cheaper and shorter Waikiki lunch break, pack up the car with your…
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Stores Flourish in an Online World
Online competitors were killing off bricks-and-mortar music stores when Peter Dods bought Honolulu’s Easy Music Center from Servco Pacific in 2005. Since then, Dods has opened a second store and, with the two locations, has tripled sales and quintupled profits,…
Bryan Clay’s New Drink
National company Yoli will launch its new Fun Active Blast sports drink in the Islands this month with support from the World’s Greatest Athlete — Hawaii’s own decathlete Bryan Clay, who says the drink has enhanced his training and overall…
Banks Work Together for Affordable Housing
For two decades, the Hawaii Community Reinvestment Corp. has partnered with local banks to help build more than 3,100 affordable housing units. The nonprofit, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this month, provides financing and technical assistance to developers, investors and…
Green Beer, But Not St. Patty’s Green
If you’re one of those people who consider the act of lifting your beer from the table to your lips repetitive exercise, your workouts just got a little easier. Kona Brewing Co. recently replaced its original 8-ounce beer bottle with…
Student Innovator Fixes Beach Problem
Ever go to the beach and wish you had somewhere to stash your keys, ID and a few dollars? Cameron Olson has created the solution: Sandaloha surf slippers with a heel compartment secured invisibly with Velcro. “The Sandaloha is one…
Mediation Lessons
John Bates’ job as a mediator is to help find common ground. He has overseen thousands of mediations since opening his firm in 1991 and says mediation gives disputing parties power over a settlement’s outcome while providing confidentiality and certainty…
Ask SmallBiz: Remodeling a Store and Being Green
Q. We plan to remodel our store. What should we consider to be more sustainable? A. Green build-outs for small businesses are the hot trend these days. But how do you tell between “greenwashing” and truly sustainable design and building? Here…
Innovation: Ship Harvests Ocean Water
Deep Ocean Hawaii is taking Hawaii’s most abundant resource — ocean water — desalinating it and selling the purified product in bulk to companies in countries like China, where water is polluted or in short supply. “Hawaii can become an…
Editor's Note: Making Our Children Pay
People love to blame politicians for the problems our country faces. “They’re all crooks” and “Throw them out” are the most common solutions in casual political conversations between friends and neighbors. The problem is that, Republican or Democrat, all of…
Transforming Hawaii’s Airports
Ask Ernest Nishizaki what the single most important thing is that Hawaii could do to revitalize its visitor industry and economy, and he does not hesitate with his answer: Fix Honolulu International Airport and fast. “We’re talking about the first…
Hawaii’s Lowest Grocery Store Prices: Don Quijote
There are many factors that determine where you buy your groceries: location, service, selection, and product quality. But price may be the most important, because everyone likes a deal. During three weeks in May, I visited 22 grocery stores all…