Talk Story with an Advertiser: Yurts of Hawai‘i
People are becoming more aware of their own footprints on this planet and realizing that it’s time to simplify, time to take back control, and time to eliminate debilitating debt and the stress associated with it. Yurts are a great…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Lucy’s Taqueria
Lucy’s Taqueria is a casual, fun, and happy Mexican restaurant serving food, drinks, beers, and margaritas. Owners Gabriel (Tomas) Ramirez and Marlene Akana Hall met on O‘ahu in 1990 and then moved to Seattle in 1994. After their arrival in…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Harbor Gallery
Elli and Gunner Mench grew up on farms in the country and were instilled with a hard work ethic. “I was a poor immigrant child from Germany whose parents spoke no English when we arrived [in the US]. I was…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Chef Pauls LLC
Chef Paul Heerlein attributes his success to his mom who was a part time personal chef, and his father who taught him a good work ethic. Chef Paul has an A.A.S. degree in culinary arts and is an ACF Certified…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Pacific Gunite
By Sara Hayashi From a young age, Peter Epperson has enjoyed building and working with concrete. Backyard projects with his father paved the way to opening his own business, Pacific Gunite, in 1986. Peter describes his early interest in concrete…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Arabel Camblor with Clark Realty
In 1990, Arabel Camblor and her husband moved here with their son from Miami, Florida. Faced with limited job opportunities, she helped her husband build his optometry practice. It was perfect with a young five-year-old son just starting school. She…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Kelly Shaw with Koa Reality, Inc.
Kelly Shaw has worked with different kinds of people since she was 14 years old, spending many years working with special needs populations and families in crisis. Moving to Hawai‘i Island in 1998, her first job on-island was as a…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Plantation Living and Interiors
Dana Mattos is hooked on collecting vintage Hawaiiana. It all began in 1979 during her senior year at Konawaena High School when she got a job at Hula Heaven/Flamingo’s, a well-known retail store in Kailua-Kona that featured new and vintage Hawaiiana.…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Fabric Gift Shoppe
Honya Sawinski’s background is business and theatre. After college she got a job at the Hayloft Dinner Theatre in a barn with a big silo in north Virginia. Besides waiting on tables, she worked with the costumers. One day, she…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Mi’s Wine & Cheese Shoppe
Morgan Starr graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in June of 1997, just two years after graduating high school. First, he worked in New York, then, Las Vegas where he helped open the Venetian Hotel. While still in his…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: ProVision Solar Inc.
ProVision Solar is Hawai‘i Island’s first solar electric construction company. When solar was a relatively new concept, it was challenging to convince people that the technology was safe, reliable, and would actually save them money in the long term. Now,…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Big Island BookBuyers
With books stacked from ceiling to floor, Big Island BookBuyers is a refreshing sight for anyone who still loves the physically printed word. Whether you’re looking for a guide to the island or a literary adventure to another world, there…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Bamboo Too
Bamboo Two owner, Kacey Parker, hails from northern California. He came to Hawai‘i Island 30 years ago. “I originally started my business selling mats to local restaurants and hotels, as Aloha State Matting. About 14 years ago, my customers started…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: East Hawaii Veterinary Center, LLC
By Sara Hayashi For most of us, our furry companions are more than just pets; they are treasured members of the family. At East Hawaii Veterinary Center, Dr. Alfred Mina and his dedicated team are here to help. East Hawaii…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Lyman Museum and Mission House
The Lyman Museum led by Barbara Moir, Executive Director, and Richard Henderson, Board Chairman, is one of only four nationally accredited museums in the State of Hawai‘i and a Smithsonian Affiliate. This year marks the 180th anniversary of the arrival…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Golden Egg Cash Assets
The Golden Egg is a women-run, locally owned store that buys miscellaneous gold, silver, platinum, dental gold, silverware, and gold and silver coins. One of their policies is that you will never feel pressured to sell anything that you are…
Talk Story with an Advertiser: Facial Fitness Hawai‘i
Marty Dean started Facial Fitness Hawaii in 1993 because she understood there was a need for a holistic approach to skin and body care. Constantly keeping up with the latest education, she is a living example of walking her talk…
The Life of Business: WaterWorks
Verne Wood, founder of WaterWorks, is a pioneer in the business of water catchment services and products on an island where many homes are independent of the County water system and rely on collecting rainwater. The company began more than…
The Life of Business: Hawai‘i Biological Dentistry
Dr. Randy Ressler may be the most musical dentist in town! “Music has always been a big part of my life,” says the owner of Hawai‘i Biological Dentistry in Kailua-Kona. He’s been performing since he was 10 and he helped…
The Life of Business: Island Edges Beads
Sharon Turner retired from being a high school theatre teacher in Arizona. Looking for something different and creative, she took a few classes in jewelry making. A native of Phoenix, the single mom of two boys taught there for 26…
The Life of Business: Big Island Coffee Roasters
Brandon Damitz and Kelleigh Stewart have combined their expertise in biological and culinary sciences and organic farming to create a business that offers the finest local products to the public along with support for other coffee growers in commercial roasting,…
The Life in Business: Kadota Liquor and K’s Drive In
Ryan Kadota, third-generation owner of Kadota Liquor and K’s Drive In, grew up in the family business. “Both Kadota Liquors and K’s Drive In were started in 1964 by my grandparents, Thomas and Kazue Kadota. They were affectionately known as…
The Life in Business: Aaronʻs Blue Kalo
Selling poi was not as easy as Aaron Sugino thought. So, with the poi that wasn’t selling, he started putting it in his mom’s (Aunty Bea’s) cookie recipe. And that’s how he started making the “macpoichip” cookies… and that is…
The Life in Business: Aloha Kona Kids
Winonna Tina Cerezo was pregnant with their fifth child when Aloha Kona Kids was born. The oldest of three siblings that today share in the store’s ownership, she and her husband, Eric, (a Hawai‘i County Police Officer who passed away…
The Life in Business: Concrete Technology of Hawai‘i
The mission of Concrete Technology of Hawai‘i is “to transform all boring and plain concrete into a beautiful long lasting and durable solutions for all of our customers. To cover all of Hawai‘i one slab at a time.” So says…
The Life in Business: Jet Vacation
The slogan, “Helping you create those magical memories,” explains the philosophy of Jet Vacation travel agency. Owner Linda Nagai says she followed her father’s dream of having a customer-service-based travel agency located on family property in Kona. Linda, who was…
The Life in Business: Village Toy Shop
Janet Louise, owner of Village Toy Shop, comes from a family of entrepreneurs. Her grandparents ran retail, tailoring and lodging enterprises and her parents owned an Italian restaurant, Giovanni’s Pizza, in Fullerton, CA. Growing up with these role models inspired…
The Life in Business: Ali‘i Woodtailors
Tom Sorensen and Paul Endresen are the owners of Ali‘i Woodtailors custom woodworking shop in South Kona. The two master woodworkers became partners and opened their first business in Washington state in1984. The two men moved to Hawai‘i in 2005…
The Life in Business: Fireplace & Home Center
Jeffrey Mermel, founder and owner of the Fireplace & Home Center in Historic Downtown Hilo, says he learned about fireplaces or wood stoves back in 1979 when his fiancé, Sally, owner of The Most Irresistible Shop in Hilo, suggested he…
The Life in Business: Paradise Plants Home and Garden Center
Lesley Hill, owner of Paradise Plants Home and Garden Center, has worked hard over the past 30 years in business to keep up with the changes in the marketplace. Today, more than selling just tropical plants, the Hilo-based retailer has…
