The Life in Business
Glimpses into the stories behind a few of our ads
Kona Stories: If Brenda Eng was ever asked what her “dream job” would have been, it would have been to own a bookstore. “I just started talking about it like it was real” states Brenda. “I would go to independent bookstores and talk story with the owner and even started taking pictures of things I liked.” After several years of planning and dreaming, the Kona mauka book store, Kona Stories, became a reality, opening Thanksgiving Weekend 2006.
Brenda and her business partner, Joy Vogelgesang, had met in a Book Club in Roseville, California.
Brenda, who is a mother of three children and worked in the medical field before moving to Hawai‘i, decided it was time to open that bookstore she had dreamed of. So, one day she e-mailed Joy in California and said, “How’d you like to move to Hawai‘i and open a book store?” Joy said, “Sure would!”
Joy’s experience working at both Borders and Barnes & Noble, and as an executive at a large corporation, prepared her for this “dream job.”
Since opening, Kona Stories has expanded its book sections based on local interest and customer demand and created a series of author or book events every Saturday afternoon. Just like the big stores, it offers a place to read and enjoy a cup of 100% Kona coffee and a treat.
Tuesday mornings is keiki story time with songs and games. Special orders and gift shipping are extra services they offer. Kona Stories is a welcoming stop at the Mango Court in Kainaliu in mauka Kona. Don’t drive by next time. Stop and say hi.
Dr. Joan Greco: “I’m a dental phobic like most of my patients are, I empathize with them,” says Joan Greco, DDS, OMS. It is not just her professional experience, but her experience as a patient that guides her treatment style. An oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. Greco specializes in placement of dental implants, wisdom tooth removal, bone grafting, facial trauma, jaw surgery and facial cosmetic procedures such as BOTOX® Cosmetic, face lifts, rhinoplasty and more.
While attending dental school, Dr. Greco worked as a neonatal and pediatric intensive care nurse at the University Health Science Center in San Antonio. It was there that she decided to specialize in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. “I was working in intensive care with babies who were born with a cleft palate and I saw how surgery made a huge difference in their lives.” From San Antonio she went to Emory University in Atlanta. When the dental school closed, it was Dr. Greco’s chance to go to Louisiana State University (Charity Hospital).
While there she found herself yearning for island life. She opened her first office on the Big Island in 1994 and is also on staff at Kona and North Hawai‘i Community Hospitals. Dr. Greco is a past president of the Hawai‘i Island Dental Association, the Hawai‘i Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.
Tradewind Hawai‘i: John and Debra Repasky, owners of Tradewind Hawai‘i, have translated their love of home building and beautiful home products into a spacious, classy design showroom in Kailua-Kona. It features a select range of premium home product lines from around the world that will appeal to customers building a luxury home or thinking about upgrades to their current homes. Tradewind Hawai‘i has a select range of products designed to bring convenience, comfort and beauty to the homeowner. They carry top brands of premium appliances, sophisticated door and window systems and garage doors. The business facilitates delivery and installation of all appliances and products. “We spend time with builders and contractors,” says Repasky “providing them with information and instructions for installing our products. It’s not just that we have unique products; we also offer expert advice.”
As a licensed garage door contractor, they offer installation, service and repair on all garage door products. The Repaskys say that what distinguishes Tradewind Hawai‘i is not just the unique product selection but the staff’s extensive product knowledge and customer service.
