Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of two stories about women owners and operators of businesses on Kaua’i By Andy Gross – The Garden Island PUHI — Jo Anne “JoJo” Ham Young of JoJo’s Paradise Seafood &
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of two stories about women owners and operators of businesses on Kaua’i
By Andy Gross – The Garden Island
PUHI — Jo Anne “JoJo” Ham Young of JoJo’s Paradise Seafood & Grill in Puhi served up her final order of fish and chips Saturday.
Though she is facing paradise lost, restaurant owner Ham Young is not panicking.
“I’m not worried. I am the survivor,” she said. “But I am overwhelmed at the amount of heart I put into this place to see it gone in a flash.”
Ham Young said owners of Street Eagle Motorcycle Rentals across from the Kaumuali’i Highway restaurant made representatives of landlord Grove Farm an offer on her space, and Ham Young said she was not able to match the offer, which would have literally doubled her rent.
“They made them an offer they couldn’t refuse,” Ham Young said.
Ham Young said she learned of the plans about a month ago.
She said she is not angry at anyone, and even thanked Allen Smith of Grove Farm for giving her a chance. She took over the restaurant in February from Elaine Marchi, who had owned the place for six years.
Ham Young had worked at the spot for four years before taking over.
“I was helping to keep the fish and chips (tradition) going. I think that’s why a lot of people supported me.”
What Ham Young lamented more than the loss of a business was the loss of a way of life on Kaua’i.
“It’s not the same as it used to be. It used to be that people helped each other out,” she said. “Now it’s getting more and more corporate,” she said. “I think people will miss the plantation-style dining.
“I am a small business (owner) and a single woman. As much as the workforce is made up of women, it’s still a man’s world,” she said.
Tim Lach, a principal of Street Eagle, confirmed company officials had plans for the site, but said it was premature at this point to discuss them.
According to their Web site, Street Eagle owners and operators run the world’s largest motorcycle-rental company specializing in Harley-Davidsons and other custom motorcycles.
Ham Young said it is likely JoJo’s Paradise will be gutted and torn down.
She conceded that she had ambivalent feelings about the end of Paradise. On the one hand, she admitted to exhaustion, employee issues, and water and septic problems.
“In a way, it was almost a relief, there were so many bills, so many barriers I had to face,” she said.
But she also said that if the lease had been offered to her at a reasonable rent, she would have signed to stay on. She said she had been mulling plans to make part of the venue a pizza parlor.
Ham Young said she will do a variety of jobs, including some upholstering and caregiving work, before making any longrange decisions. The closing of the restaurant will leave her handful of employees without jobs.
“I’ve been doing so many things. I’ve been here since before the ‘Golden Arches.’ It seems like I’ve worked three jobs forever,” she said.
After paradise comes another phase, and Ham Young was philosophical about it.
“One door opens and another closes,” she mused. “I’ll be in the hallway waiting.”
Ham Young will be selling off her restaurant supplies after she closes this weekend. For more information, please contact her at 346-1201.
