“It’s really like walking into someone’s home that you’ve been going to for a long time. Not like some other places where they just stare at you,” says Lester Peetz, a customer of The Pillbox Pharmacy for 24 years. “It’s…
There are a million stories in the white-collar gig economy. Let me introduce you to one. Alison Chock has two jobs: One is in retail, where she works nights at a boutique. Her other job is more unpredictable. The work…
How a public-private program called Creative Lab accelerates entrepreneurs in six creative areas: screenwriting, broadband, interactive media, fashion, producing and music While Hawaii is known worldwide for its rainbows, aloha spirit and beautiful weather, Georja Skinner hopes to add “creative…
Don’t tell his wife, but Wayne Hu is in love with trees. “For me, to be able to trim trees is like Michael Jordan being able to play basketball. I just looove tree trimming. “Trees are supposed to be three…
With consumers seeking healthier options, small producers like Molokai Livestock Cooperative are enjoying a spike in popularity. “We have seen an increase in consumer demand over the years,” says GM Jack Spruance, 62. “But marketing is not our biggest challenge, …
Those who view gift wrapping as a superficial formality are missing a key message that creative packaging can project. “The attention spent on putting together a beautifully wrapped present means someone really cares about you,” says Shiho Masuda of Shiho…
Like his father and grandfather, Inoke "Male" Pomale is a master carver. He works with local cow bones, bison bones from Montana, and fossilized mammoth and whale bones from Alaska and Siberia. Inoke “Male” Pomale says he comes from at…
REAL BUSINESS NIGHTMARES are truly scary, but a Halloween nightmare can be a fun way for a business to reward customers and employees. That’s one reason companies hire Kevin Okada to stage private parties, events and attractions. “Everybody likes to…
Mao-Chi Tzeng approaches tofu-making as an art. “It’s like chefs preparing dishes,” explains the 66-year-old co-owner of Mrs. Cheng’s Soybean Products in Kalihi. “Same materials, same ingredients, but different chefs come out with different dishes. “I like fine art and…
“It's sensory overload. Eye candy for the geek,” enthuses Rusty Baily, 42, as he describes Gecko Books & Comics for newcomers to the local world of fantasy and fandom. “It’s very well-organized, but it’s got things everywhere. And it’s just disorganized…
IF YOU'RE LOOKING to record a moment in time, a photograph will do. But there’s nothing like a painting to capture a person uncharacterized by age or current fashion, says Kauai artist Isa Maria. “It’s a romantic, timeless version of yourself,”…
“I WANT TO make people feel at home here,” says Supreecha Sangthong, nicknamed “Dang,” co-owner of Pae Thai Restaurant in Makiki. “I’m happy to cook for them, and I want to personally make sure they’re satisfied. I’m not so concerned about…
Ex-Marine captain’s company, Keawe Adventures, struggled for four years until a concierge at the Halekulani gave him a chance. Now his business employs 12 people and focuses on small tours with six or seven visitors at a time. Makani Christensen…
Over the past 17 years, more than 2,000 local products have found their way into military commissaries and exchanges, giving Hawaii companies new customers for items such as coffee, macadamia nuts, aloha wear, kim chee and perfume. Decades ago, commissaries…
LEFT TO THE ELEMENTS AND CHILDREN, outdoor sand sculptures won’t survive more than a day or so, but professional sand sculptor Riki Inzano says part of their beauty is their fleeting existence. “It’s meant to be a temporary art form…
When Billy Ng told his former boss at Island Sign Service Inc. that he and his brother, Min, wanted to eventually buy the business, his boss didn’t think the two would succeed. “Imagine, we were two immigrant boys from Cambodia…
Final look Friday, 12:52 p.m. Hawaii Camera, Kaimuki Photo by Aaron Yoshino Josh Strickland, founder and CEO of Hawaii Camera, inspects one before renting it out. Since opening its doors in 2009, the…
If you coach a local sports team that needs uniforms or run a business that uses logo wear, you probably know about Kenjo Inc. in Kalihi. For 28 years, Sidney Lynch has been the quiet, steady force behind Hawaii’s second-oldest…
A luxurious meal at home prepared by a professional chef is not just a privilege of the rich and famous, but available to anyone willing to spend a few hundred dollars on…
“If you find the right organization – someone whose work you admire – (volunteering) does not feel like a lot of work,” says Leighton Yuen. For attorney Yuen and banker Cori Weston, that organization is the Hawaii Opera Theatre, and…
Wednesday, 10:35 A.m. Working Class Tattoo, Kaimuki Photo by Olivier Koning Owner Steven Lam meticulously inspects a sterilized needle through a magnifying loupe to ensure it is straight and sharp before it punctures flesh. Lam says that during the manufacturing…
Malia Haumschild – like the teas she creates – is steeped in hula and Hawaiian culture. “From the age of 11, I danced hula at the then-Maui Prince Hotel in Makena three nights a week, for about 11 years,” remembers…
Once you’ve had gelato, you may never go back to plain ol’ ice cream. Gelato is Italian-style ice cream, made with less butterfat and less air, which make it denser and more flavorful, usually with less fat and fewer calories…
Ricard Muszynski loves to create chocolate treats by hand and wants to show you how to do it, too. At his Waikiki shop, Kokoa Bar by Ricard Chocolat, you have many choices: You can ogle and taste artisanal confections such…