Puna / Hilo needs this kind of business

[Monty]

What kind of business establishments are missing that you would like to see in Puna and/or Hilo.

What features would it need to have for Punatics to support it. Please be as specific as possible. For ex: if its a bar, then what should be a preferred location. Would a grill be necessary? A night club?

What businesses or features would Hilo vacationers like to see? What would locals prefer. Hours of operation?

Please keep in mind that it would have to make a decent living for the owner.

Please help me possibly fill a "need" that you would like to see fulfilled.

Since my house burned down, I now own a better view of the rising moon.

[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

[PaulW]

An internet cafe

[mdd7000]

That already failed...

[PaulW]

Correction: a properly run internet cafe.

[Carey]

For all of you up in Volcano (& those that visit there) the Ohia Cafe has some very yummy bakery items (and sandwiches made on very large slices of some great homemade bread varieties plus many items that are great for the vegetarian or the meat eaters pallette!

Hilo now has 2 fine dessert bakeries, one on Kinoole (where the bread baker used to be) and a French inspired sweet bakery on Waianuinui.

[peregrine]

I would love a cafe that emphasized local foods and flavors with a healthy and sustainable ethic.

[Monty]

Thanks for all the advice.
What were the shortcomings of the internet cafe that failed?
Did it have broadband wi-fi?
Would users actually buy coffee and pastries or would people just hangout and bankrupt the business? Or should one charge by the hour for internet use?
Where was it located and does anyone remember the name and especially their website address. I know the site must be down, but I can still research it.
I know I ask a lot of questions, so please bear with me.

Since my house burned down, I now own a better view of the rising moon.

[critterlover]

Monty: The local Internet Cafe [loosely used term] was called the Aloha Outpost. I have no idea why it failed. I only had a couple of meetings there as it was local and large enough to be able to get a table most of the time. My experience was that they had a lot of room but their 'menu' was limited and their staff with whom I had interaction was not 'people friendly'. I cannot speak to all their staff nor all of the time, only for those that served me and only the few times I went there. Contrasting them to Kope Kope [co pay co pay] in town, a coffee/internet cafe that not only has some computers but sufficient tables where you can log on to their access or if you bring your own sit and surf. The coffee is not Starbucks but you can usually get a table there whereas Starbucks, both locations, is usually packed. [The one across from Wal Mart seems to the 'personal office' Starbucks. There are a number of individuals who actually do business there, meeting clients and everything!] The Border's store has a coffee and snacks counter that used to be Borders and then Starbucks and now is horrible. I have twice purchased a coffee from them and twice thrown it away. Kope Kope, Starbucks and Borders are all in town. We seriously need a Starbucks out here! Malama Market Place and Woodland Center are the 'it' place for some of this stuff. Pahoa Town has 'parking' issues but if it weren't for that I think the growth there would be off the charts. It has charm; it has services; it has street side merchants; it has eateries; it has schools and community center and a pool all along the same stretch of road.

I must admit, except to go to Luquin's the local Mexican Food restaurant, I rarely head into Pahoa Town. I get as far as Paul's gas station or the Malama Marketplace. I won't frequent the two fast food places that are being built [just don't eat from those two not for any boycott reason] and do not shop at Long's so the new Woodland Center will bring mostly a traffic nightmare for my husband and myself. Unless they also build a strip mall there and bring in other businesses, the area that used to be green will just be another bunch of buildings.

I venture out of my home and head into town to do my weekly shopping, catch a movie and a meal, get my nails done, interact with the county, grab a mocha Venti from Starbucks, and come back home. If I could do all of that here locally I would be thrilled but on the other hand, I do love to drive and though the landscape is fast changing, taking in the sights and sounds of Hawaii Island is still my favorite thing to do.

Wish you all the best in whatever you decide to do for a business here. When my hubby and I moved here in 1991 we came prepared to begin 3 different types of businesses. One took off and served use well for 10 years. From that time we have basically migrated to what had 'growth' potential. With the economy as it is, I stay home, mostly do community service, hubby heads into town to work. Our critters love having someone home all day. Honestly, a really great salad bar ala Soup Plantation would be wonderful but likely unsustainable as a business. We have Subway but if a super deli were to move in with a wonderful selection of sandwiches, bagels, that would possibly do well. There is nothing like it anywhere in east Hawaii. I truly miss the Deli's in all of the Industrial Parks in San Diego. They had really neat breakfast sandwiches and totally delicious lunch sandwiches. They closed by 2 when everyone was through with their lunches and breaks and opened by 530 when folks were heading into work. There was never one who wasn't killer busy. A toasted Bagel and cream cheese would sure be delightful...better get up and make it!

“A penny saved is a government oversight.”

[PaulW]

There is a lot of untapped money-making potential in HPP, a subdivision with thousands of people but not a single shop.
I'm sure there's some good reason why there is no retail there, you'd have to find some way around it, e.g. by delivering. I haven't found anyone who will deliver pizza.

The internet cafe in Pahoa (in that shopping area on the outskirts, with the gas station and Malama Market) was called Aloha Outpost but also some other names before that, Aloha Cafe? You might be able to find references to it by searching in this forum. I liked to go there every once in a while for a blast of high-speed internet, after suffering dial-up speeds all day. You could use their computers or bring your own laptop. They tried various pricing structures over the years, I thought they charged too little for all-day wi-fi but maybe they figured you would spend money on the food and drinks. I was glad to do so but the staff sometimes made it a bit difficult by ignoring customers and taking sometimes up to 10 minutes to make a smoothie. When they removed some of my favorite items from the menu I stopped dropping by.

When I see other places in the world where you have multiple internet cafes in one street, surely Puna could support one or two?

Aloha Outpost had a bit of a hippy feel to it, which was fun but perhaps something a bit more Starbucks-like would do better. It could become a de facto business center for the area, and everyone likes comfy chairs.

Edit: I think it was first called Aloha Outpost and then Punatic Cyber Cafe.