I think it's great that we have a giant store dedicated to food sales such as the new Whole Foods Store that will be gracing us with its' presence at The Mau'i Mall shortly. This store will also be providing 140 jobs to island residents which I think is wonderful during this economic time of struggle. But I do have to question that will this store take away from the smaller local businesses of the same market who depend on our local community just to stay afloat. Takamiya Market has survived for decades down in Happy Valley, but not without having to mark down their prices at times just like so many other stores just to keep in competition with the larger wholesale businesses in order to survive. I do like what this particular store has to offer the island and its' people but wouldn't it be more beneficial to our community to allow them to be part of the produce and foods sold by this large corporation? Our local businesses thrive on what our community buys from them and when larger companies move in, they take away from that which we recognize as trademark businesses that have been here on our island for years and have become more than just a familiar store. They are recognized as landmarks and as a part of us as a whole. When Ooka's shut down, it was a sad and tearful moment for many of us as well as with Ah Fook's. These two little giants of the community were as local to us as can be. Though these supermarkets went out of business for other reasons as far as I know, the companies and corporations that have taken their place are not local to the islands and only take away from the remaining stores ability to maintain their staying open to the public.
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