Who We Are

Rick Lilley, owner of Silver Lining Wine Bar, our pick for Best Wine Tasting Bar. Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino

If there’s anything that represents the intrinsic nature of Honolulu it’s our small businesses. So many local families, mine included, have run or continue to operate them, whether they’re eateries, stores, professional services or other endeavors. And even if you’ve never owned your own business, I would argue that all of us have family or friends who do.

Memories flood back when I see parents and their kids working together at shops, restaurants and farmers markets, devoting countless hours to keep their businesses afloat.

My father, who passed away in 2011, was a chemical engineer in Illinois, but after we moved to Hawai‘i in 1969, when I was a baby and my sister was only a few years older, he couldn’t find work in his field. My mother, raised in Wahiawā, wanted us to live here, so my dad had to figure something out. He bought a laundromat in ‘Āina Haina and ran it for several years. He used to bring home quarters retrieved from the machines and drop them into a cup that my sister and I were free to take from. We felt like the richest kids around with those quarters in our pockets.

He later owned another small business, Bes’ Kine Products, selling false eyelashes imported from South Korea at Longs Drugs. In many ways, the business was ahead of its time. (If my dad only knew how ubiquitous lashes would become!) And it truly was a family-run operation. My sister and I spent many weekends working at my dad’s Kalihi warehouse, assembling the lashes in cases and being rewarded afterward with burgers and fries at the old Kenny’s Restaurant.

Memories flood back when I see parents and their kids working together at shops, restaurants and farmers markets, devoting countless hours to keep their businesses afloat. I think about their ups and downs, their uncertainties and their aspirations. It’s powerful being supported by a family undertaking, knowing your collective effort is what sustains you.

Our city is stronger because of entrepreneurs. They bolster our economy, provide jobs, offer all kinds of goods and services, but also uphold our culture, history, traditions and heart.

We’ve long been committed at HONOLULU to supporting locally owned businesses through our stories, social media, events and more. There’s no issue that reflects this more than Best of HONOLULU, which celebrates mostly local endeavors that our editorial team and readers love. By casting much-deserved attention on entrepreneurs, we hope to encourage readers—and all the people in their circles—to patronize them. Buying local is critical these days, and small businesses need to thrive if our state is to maintain even a semblance of sustainability.

After all, they are who we are.