• Aloha Safety Ed • I choose otherwise • Support local businesses Aloha Safety Ed My condolences go out to the family of “Safety Ed” (Ed Martin). Safety Ed was one of the last people I spoke to before leaving
• Aloha Safety Ed
• I choose otherwise
• Support local businesses
Aloha Safety Ed
My condolences go out to the family of “Safety Ed” (Ed Martin).
Safety Ed was one of the last people I spoke to before leaving Kaua‘i and as usual he had a final joke to tell me before I left.
That’s one of the things I liked about Safety Ed; even when he was testing you for your Forklift Certification, he didn’t make you feel dumb when you did the opposite of what he was instructing you to do.
He’d tell you to take your time and work through it until you got it right. Then of course, after you were done, the jokes would be made.
Guess he’s been called to keep all that traffic coming in to Heaven moving right along, in a safe manner of course.
Gonna miss you Safety Ed. Aloha on your next journey.
Francine Grace, Hilo, Hawai‘i
I choose otherwise
In response to Joni Selter (“High produce prices leave a bad taste,” Letters, April 5), I am glad that you see that Kilauea Town Market supports the local people of Kilauea, not only by providing a needed service and supporting local farmers.
But do you see that besides providing convenience for us, the store also provides jobs and a revenue that stays on Kauai as opposed to sending our money off island to a corporation like Foodland, Wal-Mart or Safeway, where you choose to take your list? Personally, I much prefer supporting our local economy which I feel sustains us as a community.
I am not sure how it has eluded you, but the cost of all goods, utilities and shipping have drastically increased in the last year. Dairy products in particular have become very expensive, as our ‘local’ dairy no longer has any cows in Hawai‘i, and in order to compete imports milk from the Mainland. My electric bill nearly doubled last year, didn’t yours? Perhaps you should check your information as well, as I just bought a small container of sour cream from Kilauea Town Market for $2.69. And I didn’t have to drive my car with fuel which costs over $2.50 a gallon to Princeville or Kapa‘a to get it.
The owner of a small independently owned store cannot compete with the prices at large grocery stores. Large stores’ purchases are made on a statewide corporate level which is impossible for a small store to match. I know this because I was the store manager at Foodland for over six years. It is simplistic at best to think you can compare the prices at a corporate giant to those of a small local business.
What I have noticed at the Market is the product selection has almost doubled from the last owner. I am thankful for the local produce, the individually packaged items I can find, and the ‘ohana I feel part of when I shop there. It seems to me the service and selection I can find are another reason to look at the bigger picture and support our local businesses. I never feel taken advantage of nor do I leave with a bad taste in my mouth, maybe because I have a better understanding of our economy and of running a business than you seem to have.
So I am sorry you felt so cheated as to slander a local merchant. In these time of economic difficulty we should be doing all we can to support our community, not to slander it. Do you really think the small business owners in our community are out to get you? As you say, there are choices. You can go to Wal-Mart, Costco and Foodland so that you can squeeze out that penny you so want to save. Then, when the small mom and pop stores you really enjoy seeing move to the Mainland with Meadow Gold’s cows you can complain about having to drive to town to stand in line with corporate America and buy your corporate approved products.
I choose otherwise.
James Evans, Kilauea
Support local businesses
A letter Friday entitled “$30 for pizza is a crime” complains about the high price of pizza at Kilauea Bakery, suggesting that its pricing was the equivalent of robbery much the same as what the owners of the bakery have endured several times over the last few months.
I am not going to waste space and time attempting to educate the letter writer as to the cost of doing business on the North Shore, especially in today’s economy where restaurants and stores are closing right and left. I’d simply like to remind the individual that you have choices as to where you buy your pizza.
It is your choice if you want to support local businesses and help them survive — just as it is for each and every North Shore resident.
I extend my sympathy and support to the Picketts and hope that the camera system will help to identify the latest culprit.
Petrina Satori-Britt, Princeville
