Puna / Hilo needs this kind of business

[EightFingers]

Harbor Freight! []

[Greg]

I think a gym would be nice. There's not one ths side of Hilo that I know of. Pahoa had one several years ago, but was in the wrong location, with lowlifes hanging on the sidewalk outside.

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[csgray]

Greg,
There is now a sign hanging over the little walkway next to the Pahoa Village Cafe that says Gym and points down the alley. I think there is a Curves (women only and not really a gym) and a regular gym in Shipman Ind. Park too.

Carol

[Samdooby]

A dry cleaners in Pahoa!!

[robguz]

I'm in Hilo 5 days a week. Between that and Pahoa not being very far from Hilo, I can't really think of what else is needed. Long's will be nice I guess, and I'll probably go there on occasion instead of going to the one in Hilo. In general, I don't really want to see more stores in Pahoa. That Long's complex compared to all the ohia that used to be there is an eyesore. Most little stores that sell toys, home furnishings and such fail because nobody here really has the money and they can get similar things elsewhere for much cheaper. A gym would be nice, but I think it would fail. As for the Aloha Outpost "Cafe" my favorite experience was the last time I went in to get an espresso and was told they stopped selling espresso drinks because the price of dairy was too high, which made no sense when I was asking for a drink with no dairy. The couple times I was in there before I moved here it was a dumpy place that seemed like it was run on 10 year old computers with slow connections.
I guess overall I'm pretty fine with how Pahoa is business-wise, and was fine with how it was 5+ years ago. The only kinds of stores I miss from the mainland are nice home stores, and as a member of the working (near)poor, I can't afford fancy stuff anyway. A Best Buy would be nice to have, but of course in Hilo where it might survive.

[peregrine]

A small art/craft supply store could be good. So many people here do all sorts of art and craft for fun and profit, but we only have Ben Franklin and Walmart in Hilo. It would be great to have a place to get some basic supplies like beads, candle making equipment, reasonably priced fiber art materials and a few things for fine art like pencils, paper and the most popular paint colors. I know that stores like that can struggle, especially if they get too ambitious, but I have patronized some very successful locally owned art/craft/hobby shops, and with the DIY aesthetic of many Punatics, I think it could work here.

[kimo wires]

I would like to see restaurants to open up in the new Pahoa development that serve healthier food.
Or at least better quality fast food.
I'm dissapointed at the types of establishments that have been planned for opening here.
It's NO NEW CHOICES to me.

Just more of the SOS you can get in hilo

[SandyS]

I enjoy most of the restaurants in Pahoa. I sure would like to see a good Meditranian restaurant someplace on the island. Perhaps there is one hidden away somewhere that I have not come across yet?

[aunty]

I would support a car wash, the kind with stalls and you wash your self. Grive thru is OK too but not like the one in Hilo.


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quote:

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Originally posted by csgray

Drive through Car and Boat wash in Kea'au. Salt water is really hard on both cars and boats and Kea'au would be a good location for both mauka and makai residents.

Really good bakery/coffee house with killer deserts, live entertainment and a good breakfast that can feed everyone from a strict vegan to a dedicated carnivore, but without some of the more colorful elements the Punatic Cafe attracted at the end.

Almost anything in the way of second tier medical services: walkers, wheelchairs, custom orthotics and compression stockings; all this stuff, especially if it involves custom fitting is expensive and hard to get here. People fly over to Oahu for the kinds of prescription medical devices that in any town the size of Hilo on the mainland you could easily find several providers for.

Services for the old and the young who seem to be the two biggest and fastest growing demographics on this island.

My students (high school) all say Hilo needs a roller rink and arcade where kids can hangout and spend money. They have disposable income and time, but no place that welcomes them and their money. Plus, can't you just see a Big Island roller derby team!

Carol

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[mdd7000]

A spray-it-yourself car wash would come in quite handy - especially when we get into another drought. You hate to waste your catchment water when you are running low! One or two bays would be all that are needed. Maybe one of the bays could be a drive in style, nothing fancy, just enough to clean the red dust off?