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Carey, the last I heard about the Western Auto redevelopment, they were in a permit dispute with the County. It seems a theater group installed unpermitted tiered seating, and that resulted in the whole thing being denied operation. There may have also been electrical issues, but I don't recall for certain. The owners did issue a statement saying they hoped to have all issues resolved soon, but I haven't heard any more about the place.
Cheers,
Jerry
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Wow! well someone beat me to the punch in organizing a consignment showroom, i think that is badly needed seeing the interest in memorabilia, antiques or just plane kotckes...maybe i'll just rent a stall instead and try this out as a cheaper entry to doing business in hawaii....although i guess the same could be said by just selling at the makuu market for the same type of audience.
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Glen....the downtown Pahoa has not changed at all since the opening of the Malama Marketplace. If anything...Pahoa is a little bit more infused with life. Yes, Cash and Carry might be suffering...but their new siding looks good. I still have "issues" with Cash and Carry...expired products being sold (always check the expiration dates on stuff there) and lack of sanitation. These issues have not changed since 1991 when I first visited that store.
I believe the rents in Pahoa town are prohibitive and prevent new businesses from thriving. Too bad...as the town continues to look like an abandoned termite colony. There never seemes to be a time when every store front looks vibrant and the town comes alive. Too bad....Pahoa could rock.
my observation agrees with Loretta ...
downtown Pahoa was always run down and not inviting looking ... and when the Malama center opened there was somewhere functional and not depressing to shop ... I think Malama provides an alternative to going to Hilo, as the Cash and Carry isn't a good market (in my opinion).
I think the success of the Malama Center should if anything encourage the rest of Pahoa to spruce up. I didn't realize the rents were so high; that's hard to understand in that area. But that answer makes sense, poor landlords accounts for a lot.
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Wow..sounds like a wake up call to me. Seems like we've all been thinking about the same thing. I wish the elected officals would listen and help improve our downtown before it continues to decay.
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I think what it takes is a pioneer....downtown San Diego used to be a little rough and tumble (which I liked a lot!!). Then a few things happened. One thing that happened is that Ingrid Croce (wife of the departed Jim Croce --take commercial flights only!) opened a very nice restaurant and quality music club. The area blossomed. Other nice restaurants moved in.
So, I think it will take a pioneer....or something along the lines of what San Diego has, which is a downtown redevelopment corporation. Not sure if it could be done on such a tiny scale. I know someone on that corporation. I will try to learn a little more.
As for cash and carry, it is hard to like except as an adventure in Pure Punaism, and for the sign! The sign is incredible, campy, and Pahoa needs to kind of expand on that campy "this lava central" type theme. We need to pull the visitors away from Hilo.
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The last town (Semi-rural IL) we lived in had one section that was tumbled down, much like Pahoa. It was not the government, but the land owners of the buildings. They refused to do anything (this was actually against the town leaders, who were threatening one owner with condemnation over safety issues when we left....It was not a money issue as this was $$$ land and Starbucks had been interested in one of the buildings, the landowner just didn't want to improve, and used the new access requirements as the reason why....
Some of the buildings in Pahoa are probably going to cost in the mega $$ to improve to access standards, & perhaps the landowners feel a coat of paint is not worth the effort, given the other neeeds of the buildings...but this is all speculation
Edited by - carey on 10/02/2007 08:27:58
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Yep thats what we need.....
lets make it more like California...
Keep it up and you can call it San Pahoa, it will be just like the place we moved here to escape.
I just keep thinking to myself that most of us moved here because the area was so special.... But everyday we all talk about making it something different.
I'm going to be happy here either way...
I love all you wonderfull people here.
Excited to have such good nieghbors and future nieghbors (Ed and Ralph)!!!!
Just think everyone should understand that change is just that... change!
Sometimes I forget this also and need to be reminded....
Me and my family will be living here with ya either way.
I shopped at Pahoa Cash and Carry everyday for over 7 years, to buy my drinks and lunch for work. Same goes for Pauls Gas station.. Want to know when the last time I shopped there was? It was the day before Malama market opened.... lol
Downtown Pahoa has been dieing ever since that day. Its inevitable.
We go to where the most convience and best offerings are... Its as simple as that!
Hope everyone has a Great Day!!
Beau S.
Edited by - Big_Island on 10/02/2007 06:54:22
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I shopped in all 3 "grocery stores" in Pahoa, and they all seem to have offerings that differ (delighted finding the fishing supplies, for instance).
The first time I drove through town, Pahoa seemed too rough for me (I'm a farmer, so don't expect to see trendy shops like Waimea, or whatever). The last 2 times I was on the Big Island, I stayed right there in Pahoa, and drove to the laundromat across the street (too heavy to carry). The road is too narrow for both vehicles and pedestrians, it seems. Its a good thing there is a bypass, or there would be many more accidents, I fear. With the houses built so close to the road, I don't expect to see widening occur, so everyone has to depend on caution to cross, or to pull out in a vehicle.
Many signs could be bigger, you can't read fast enough and drive safely, too. If they would like more business, their reason for being needs to be obvious. I don't feel that urge to change it, just my observations. For instance, I knew of only 2 places in town that served food, and the Subway out on 130. Does the fish market serve food, or just sell fish? (I WAS busy cleaning up my newly bought house so I hit the hardware store quite often).
Maybe a town directory could be drawn up, so driving to places could avoid passing by and turning around to try them out (I was there during a music event, advertised as behind someplace, I heard the music, but couldn't find a place to park).
Hope that wasn't too rambling.
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Don't want to make it more like California (okay -- I would really like it if they put a Trader Joe's in Pahoa!!), but I do want a really cute sign spanning the road that says "Pahoa" in red neon, with a "volcano" below it (classical campy volcano, not "shield" volcano" which is too hard to convey in neon.) The sign would go off at Ten in the evening, for dark skies.
Would someone please get on that for me? Mahalo in advance!
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