BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Kokua Market natural foods coop store is frustrated by its new neighbor, a collegiate housing apartment tower that opened in August, and claims tower construction hurt business to the tune of 20 percent since July, though new competition from Whole Foods and Down to Earth could also be factors.
Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.
Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.
If Kokua Market, after 47 years, is forced to close its doors and go the way of Honolulu Weekly and our bookstores, it would be a great community loss (“Kokua Market struggles to stay afloat,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 14).
Kokua is more than a store. It embodies a social aspiration for growing local, sustainably produced food for healthier people and the aina. As a cooperative, it provides a community forum to develop this aspiration. For new producers, it offers shelf space and product feedback, a soft entry to retail.
The cooperative comprises nearly 5,000 people. If each could contribute $100 today, we could save the market and transition to a more sustainable business model. Despite the perfect storm, this crisis is a wake-up call: Kokua’s survival requires our responsibility and active involvement.
Mahalo to those who contributed $10,000 on the spot, but it is time for all of us to step up. Don’t let Kokua go the way of the dinosaurs.
Soo Sun Choe
Palolo
Click here to read more Letters to the Editor.