E Komo Mai - Welcome to Any Town, USA

Petco Kailua-Kona opened yesterday and residents flocked to get a taste of this mainland chain store. Coming soon are Office Max, Sports Authority, Circuit City and Target. When I moved to the island eight years ago we didn't even have a hardware store. (Kailua Ace had just burned down, which made moving into a new house pretty frustrating- you couldn't buy ANYTHING)

Kona is changing and I can't decide whether I should celebrate or mourn. I admit I'll make full use of Sports Authority. As it is now, there is nowhere to purchase sporting goods, outdoor clothing or camping equipment, and the only place on the island that stocks fuel for my camp stove is an Army surplus store 90 miles away. Many of these new stores will provide products and services not yet offered here.

I do worry about small businesses such as Kona Coast Office Supply and Stockley's, my beloved fish supply store down the street. Bill has been serving Kona for than 25 years (I think) and he and his staff have been delighted to help the customers they have come to know on a first name basis. I sure hope they continue to thrive with Petco down the street. But the situation is too familiar to me, my mom owned a video store in a small town in Indiana. Despite her better service, larger selection of titles and cheaper and less confusing pricing, residents chose to drive across town to visit the polo shirt clad employees at Blockbuster.

Here's what else I hate about chain stores. Standing outside our new strip mall today felt like I could be anywhere in America. There is no personality and nothing unique about these box stores. They are not a part of the community and they don't strive to meet their customers' needs. Circuit City on Oahu had a whole rack of lock de-icers last year. WalMart discounts their patio furniture each fall because summer has ended. They don't know much about Hawaii's seasons, do they?

On the other hand, I have noticed customer service is ridiculously poor in Kona and many shops charge exuberant prices. When Lowe's and Home Depot came in, HPM shaped up. Before competition arrived they often discriminated against my dad's white skin, and they once tried to sell him a garden hose to hook up a refrigerator. I used to refer to the store as Haoles Pay More. Maybe this town could use some healthy competition. I just hate to see the little guys get clobbered. And I hate to see the town I love slowly morphing into Anytown, USA.