Author: Tiffany Edwards Hunt

Fresh Look for Hilo’s Main Street

The Bayfront will get a fresh paint job starting in January as part of the city’s winning entry in a national contest. Hilo was one of 17 U.S. cities and three in Canada that won Benjamin Moore’s Main Street Matters…

Chasing Lava

Charging through five-foot swells, soaked by waves while clinging to the rail of a 34-foot boat, you realize that seeing lava flow into the ocean isn’t for wimps.  “This is not your powder-puff boat ride,” says Capt. Shane Turpin. “It’s…

Hostess of south kona turns 105

83 years after opening her business, Mary Shizuko Teshima still loves company. Mary Shizuko Teshima probably holds the Hawaii record for business longevity: 83 years after opening on her property in Honalo, she still lives behind the family restaurant and…

Clothes for a Woman Warrior

There’s such enthusiasm for Nita Pilago that you may think you’re at a 90-percent-off sale as women push and shove at a craft fair to grab one of her Wahine Toa designs. Taught to sew by her grandmother, Pilago grew…

Standing Fit Converts Countertops into Stand-up Desks

WHAT IS STANDING FIT? Standing Fit converts tables or countertops into stand-up desks. It’s a 3/8-inch-thick plexiglass stand designed by Kona native Tiffiny Taylor, and manufactured and shipped to customers byGlasplex LLC, based in New Jersey. Unlike a traditional stand-up desk,…

New Workplace Law Aids Breastfeeding

The Patagonia store in Haleiwa is one business in Hawaii that doesn’t need a lesson on the federal law covering breastfeeding in the workplace. Hiromi Hasegawa-Suitt’s children, now 2 and 4 years old, were breastfed when they were younger, thanks…

Winning New Fans for Breadfruit

Hawaii Island Gourmet is doing its part to improve the taste reputation of the often-maligned breadfruit. From September through the holiday season, when breadfruit trees on Hawaii Island are bearing fruit, the company produces seven-ounce packages of ulu chips. Though…

Creating Life’s Soundtrack

“Without Bill Evans there would have been no Keith Jarrett, and Keith Jarrett is god,” says Maggie Herron. Well, then, without Keith Jarrett, there would be no Maggie Herron, the Big Island’s jazz goddess. Herron’s newest CD is “In the…

Talk Story with Percy Higashi, Roberts Hawaii

At the president of the state's oldest and largest tour and transportation company, Percy Higashi oversees 1,400 employees and 900 vehicles on four islands, the world's largest Polynesian catamaran, and theMagic of Polynesia show. Before joining Roberts last year, he had…

Keeping the Goats Happy and Healthy

It’s kidding season and the number of goats behind the Lava Rocks Puna Goat Cheese label has grown to 43. Some are bucks, kids or mamas out of commission while caring for newborns, so the number of milking goats is…

Ask SmallBiz: Online Reputation

Q. I seem to have no control over the things that are said about my business online. What can I do? A. If a client searches on Twitter,Facebook or Yelp, they can see all kinds of things that have been said about your business…

Lessons Learned: Franchising Lessons

David Lelm has been in the auto body business for 45 years, including the past seven in Kailua-Kona. In October 2010, he turned his independent body shop into a Maaco franchise. Lelm talks about the advantages and challenges of joining…

Goliath Is Gone, but 5 Davids Survive

When the big Borders bookstore closed in Hilo in August 2010, attorney Bob Marx helped fill the void by opening Books, Nooks and Crannies two months later. His store adds to a rich literary scene in downtown Hilo, where four…