This is a story about hard work, commitment, and a family owned business marking its 100th anniversary this year. It is a Hawai`i story and an American story. It’s a story worth telling.

Koichi Taniguchi left Japan in 1907. He was seventeen years old when he arrived in Honolulu. The young man worked at Heeia Sugar Plantation for six years before his bride Taniyo arrived. The couple moved to Waiakea Town, a district in Hilo. They bought a two-story building on Lihiwai Street, and opened K. Taniguchi Shoten in 1916.

The enterprise was a 500 square foot grocery and dry goods store serving Waiakea Town and the plantations along the Hamakua Coast. Taniyo operated the store while minding her son Yukiwo. Koichi took orders from around Hilo and from plantation workers, and then delivered the items by bicycle. Both the business and the family grew.

Koichi Taniguchi’s business philosophy still infuses KTA Superstores. Mr. Taniguchi supported the community because the community supported the store. Plantation workers were paid once a month. When they were on strike, the workers weren’t paid at all. Mr. Taniguchi extended them credit. The policy continued in World War II when the store extended credit during times of rationing. The debts were paid.

By 1939 the Taniguchis had saved enough money to open a second store, this time in downtown Hilo at the corner of Keawe and Mamo Streets.

In 1946 a devastating tsunami struck Hilo without warning. Waiakea Town was destroyed completely. Much of downtown was also damaged. Hiloans, including the Taniguchis, rebuilt. The Taniguchis expressed confidence in the future by opening a store in Kailua-Kona.

In 1960 another tsunami struck Hilo. When the wave appeared Yukiwo Taniguchi was parked in front of the downtown store. He was loading his car with merchandise to take across the island. Fortunately Yukiwo had time to rush to the second story of the store. He survived. The wave moved his car twenty-five yards.

Today KTA Superstores remain a family owned enterprise with six stores on the Island of Hawai`i. Barry Taniguchi, grandson of Koichi and Taniyo, is Chairman and CEO. Their great-grandson Toby Taniguchi  serves as president and chief operating officer. KTA’s business model continues to be service to the community.

One hundred years is a long time for a family owned business to flourish. For generations Big Island residents have shopped at KTA. It looks like future generations will have the same privilege.

Congratulations KTA

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Featured Image: KTA Super Store downtown location. Photo by Author.

Pictures:
Hilo Beach in 1892. U.S. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.
Hilo Suburbs in 1907. U.S. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.
1946 Hilo Tsunami. U.S. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

Downtown KTA Super Store. Photo by Author.

Wanda Adams. “Family Owned KTA Superstores Committed to Hawaii Products. Honolulu Advertiser.com Dec. 3, 2008.

John Burnett. “Happy Birthday, KTA.” Hawai’i Tribune Herald. Jan. 17, 2016. Pp. 1, 8.

KTA Super Stores.

Jason Y. Kimura. “Family Calling for Hall-of-Famer.” Hawaii Retail Grocer. 2015.

Rod Thompson. “Support of Local Products Propels KTA.” Star-Bulletin.com. Sept. 29, 2002.

The post CENTURY OF SERVICE first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Tuesday – Personal
A few weeks ago I went to the optometrist for my annual check-up. I was hoping for a stronger glasses prescription. Little did I know, what my eyes were up to. Unbeknownst to me, both my eyes had developed narrow angles, which can be a precursor to glaucoma, which can lead to blindness. Eye fluid drains from the outer corner of the eye. If the angle closes, the eye can’t drain. Pressure builds up within the eye. Glaucoma reduces vision and can lead to blindness. Not good.

The cure: Laser Iridotomy
An ophthalmologist uses a laser to make a small opening in the eye’s iris. This allows fluid to flow freely and hopefully will reduce pressure within the eye.

I had the procedure last Tuesday. Fingers crossed all will be well. I don’t particularly want to be a “one-eyed” writer.

Friday – Statewide Severe Weather

While I was fretting about my upcoming Laser Iridotomy, meteorologists at NOAA were tracking Hurricane Iselle as she crossed the Central Pacific on her way to Hawai`i. Just behind, Julio was building hurricane force winds.

By Wednesday, local television stations and civil defense authorities urged us to be prepared. They’d been saying this for a while, but somehow when they said it on Wednesday, people paid attention. Forecasts projected Iselle would hit the Big Island, and no one was sure what Julio had in mind. Thursday, controlled madness broke out. The Governor and County Mayors hunkered down where they could monitor the situation. Bottled water sold out quickly. People stocked up on vital canned goods – Spam, Vienna sausage, and anything else one could consume in the event of a power outage. Folks topped up their gas tanks. And for some reason, whenever potential disaster looms, we buy toilet paper. I think that’s left over from the 1949-dock strike.

This compulsion to keep the pantry full is based on a fundamental fact of life on an island. When hurricanes or tsunamis strike, no one knows how long the docks and airports will be closed. Almost everything we use comes from out of state.

Iselle made landfall on East Hawai`i, dumping heavy rain and winds along the Hamakua Coast. Flooding, ocean surge, and brown water affects the entire coastline, but the heaviest damage is in Puna, the area south of Hilo. It will take approximately three weeks for power to be restored in the worst hit areas. Actual landfall occurred near Ka`u. Iselle proceeded over Mauna Kea to the western side of the island and on up the island chain. Maui suffered damage, but Honolulu was spared. We are blessed.

When I started thinking about this blog, I did some research on the three previous hurricanes that struck Hawai`i. All took out their force on Kaua`i to the north. Dot arrived in 1959;

Hurricane `Iwa, 1982

Hurricane `Iniki, 1992

 Saturday – Statewide Political Shifts

While we prepared for Hurricane Iselle, we also wondered what would happen in the Primary Elections scheduled for Saturday, the day after the storm hit. Would polling places be open? Would Governor Abercrombie, candidate for re-election in the Democratic Primary, gain an advantage from hurricane-related briefings? Would people vote early? Would they vote at all?

As things turned out, the election went ahead as scheduled, except for two polling stations on the Big Island. Voters in those areas will receive ballots by mail. So, final results won’t be in for a few weeks. This particularly impacts the Democratic election for U.S. Senator. Colleen Hanabusa is challenging Brian Schatz, the incumbent.

The latest election tally on Hawaii News Now shows the candidates in a dead heat, each with 49 percent of the vote. The numbers tell a different story. Schatz presently leads with 113,800 votes against Hanabusa’s 112,165. The voters in the two Puna districts will decide the outcome. It’s the most exciting election we’ve had in years!

The governor’s race was a complete upset. Neil Abercrombie, a man who has been in Hawai`i politics since 1975, is the first Democratic governor in Hawai`i to be defeated in his run for re-election. Abercrombie received 37 percent of the vote. His challenger, David Ige, swept the election with 67 percent. It’s one of those unprecedented events that happen every once in a while. The kind that makes you think voters really do have a voice.

So, what do laser iridotomy eye surgery, Hurricane Iselle, and Hawai`i Primary Elections have in common? Not much. But here’s the thing. Each represents the result of people working together for the benefit of others whether it’s researchers committed to reducing the incidence of blindness; scientists, newscasters, civil defense and communities working together in response to natural disasters; or voters getting to the polls to support the person they think will best represent their neighborhood.

To quote an Inspiration I first heard at a Rotary Meeting:

I am only one, but still I am one.

I cannot do everything, but still I can do something;

and because I cannot do everything,

I will not refuse to do something that I can do.

                                                                                                            — Helen Keller

For More Information:

Featured Image: Hurricane Iselle on Aug. 7, 2014

On Laser Iridotomy Web MD.

Primary Election Results. Hawaii News Now. Accessed Aug. 11, 2014

Hawai`i Hurricane History. Hawaii News Now.

Abercrombie Becomes First Governor to Lose a Reelection Primary. Hawaii News Now.

The post WHEW! WHAT A WEEK IT WAS first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.