Kaya Store marks 80 years as a North Shore landmark
PUNALUʻU (HawaiiNewsNow) – It’s one of the few family-owned general stores left on the island, and for North Shore and Koʻolauloa residents, it’s more than a quick stop — it’s a piece of home. Holoholo with us to Kaya Store in Punaluʻu, a longtime landmark along Kamehameha Highway.
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“Nostalgia… grassroots.”
For Hauʻula resident Lopaka Imes, the store is tied to childhood memories.
“We were all small kids, growing up, coming over here—grabbing fishing gear, all of it,” said Imes.
Even now, he says the routine hasn’t changed much: the same familiar faces still stop in on the way to work, grabbing musubis, ice, and whatever they need before heading into town.
Owner Beverly Hashimoto is carrying forward a legacy her family started in October 1946.
“I live in the back here, but let me tell you, every day I walk to work, I’m thanking my parents for what we have here,” said Hashimoto.
Hashimoto’s father, Bill Kaya, served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
“My grandparents and my oldest uncle decided, you know, at that time, and they said that when my father gets out of out of the military, they wanted him to run the business,” said Hashimoto.
Hashimoto shares the story behind why her family chose to open a store in the first place — a decision rooted in hardship and survival.
She recalls asking her grandmother why they didn’t start a grocery store. In broken English, her grandmother explained how poor the family once was — so poor she had to catch small fish in the river just to make musubi for school lunches.
Her grandmother’s answer stayed with her: “If we have a store, we will never starve.” Hashimoto says that sentiment hits her in the heart — and explains the purpose behind Kaya’s Store’s beginnings.
Hashimoto says her father and his brothers opened Kaya Store, and her father’s oldest brother — a contractor — built both the store and the home their family grew up in behind it.
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With grandparents living there too, the space became the center of family life: the get-togethers, the work, and the long days.
In the early years, the store leaned heavily into hardware and general merchandise. Hashimoto says her dad worked relentlessly — opening early, staying late — and even doing lawnmower repairs after closing.
Because the building isn’t enclosed, salt air would rust the cans. Hashimoto remembers being handed fine sandpaper as a kid and having to scrub the rust off so items could still be sold.
Later, she says her father got smarter: he began spraying clear lacquer on new cases of cans to make them last longer — a practice she still uses today.
When larger commercial hardware businesses opened between Lāʻie and Kahuku in the 1990s, the Kaya family made the decision to close the small hardware operation.
Hashimoto and her husband, Vern, took over and shifted Kaya Store toward a convenience store model. They franchised Subway for several years — the space now replaced by a tattoo shop — and in 2015, they added Kaya’s Kitchen.
“We had to do a lot of changes over the years,” Hashimoto said, adding that the shift made sense — especially since she didn’t consider herself a hardware person, even though her father loved it.
Punaluu resident Aiulu Manu Jr. remembers the store before the changes.
“They had everything… pipes—everything you needed was right here,” said Manu.
This year, Kaya Store is celebrating a major milestone: 80 years in business.
“I can’t believe that many years have gone by, but I just feel very thankful and proud,” said Hashimoto.
Imes reacts with disbelief — “80 years… can you believe that?” — a reminder that while the store has evolved, its place in the community hasn’t changed: familiar, local, and still standing.
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