The first shops began to shutter, while many others prepared to follow suit, Tuesday at Pahoa Marketplace as the June 27 lava flow continued its approach less than a mile away.
The first shops began to shutter, while many others prepared to follow suit, Tuesday at Pahoa Marketplace as the June 27 lava flow continued its approach less than a mile away.
Located at the intersection of Pahoa Village Road and Highway 130, the marketplace hosts about 20 businesses and is a major center of commerce for lower Puna.
But merchants may only have a week — assuming the flow is not interrupted or changes course — before lava arrives and begins to claim the largest shopping center in the history of the ongoing 31-year Puu Oo eruption.
The shopping center’s gas station, operated by Malama Market, and Subway were among the first to close Tuesday.
Malama Market plans to close at 6 p.m. Thursday, and the store was packed Tuesday with shoppers hoping to stock up.
Cindy Caldicott of Pahoa said she was disappointed the store can’t be saved.
“Where are they going to go?” she said of shoppers. “They can’t go to Hilo.”
“It’s criminal,” she added.
Island Naturals on Pahoa Village Road will remain open.
Suzanne Kruppa, one of the Pahoa Marketplace owners, said there was some consideration given to building a berm around the shopping center. But concerns about a berm, if successful, diverting the flow to someone else’s property prevented it from being pursued.
“Nobody wants to take on that liability,” she said.
Kruppa said each tenant has a plan for evacuation.
“Everyone is totally on it,” she said.
Lex Brodie’s Tire will close after today, and other businesses were prepared to leave in the next few days.
A spokeswoman for Aloha Petroleum said the decision to close the gas station was made Tuesday in order to provide enough time for fuel and other equipment to be removed.
That’s expected to take three days.
Ace Hardware is closing at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Brandi McKee, an Ace Hardware employee, said the store is offering employees jobs at other locations.
“It means a whole lot especially during the holidays,” she said.
Eyeland EyeDoc owners said they will close Thursday and open at a new location at 305 Wailuku Drive in Hilo in January.
Officials with Hawaii County Research and Development and the Hawaii Small Business Development Center were meeting with merchants Tuesday.
Judi Mellon, Hawaii SBDC business consultant, said she expected the small business owners to wait the longest before closing since they can be more flexible. She said most she spoke with planned to open new locations elsewhere.
Becky Petersen, owner of Jungle Love clothing, said she might relocate to Hilo or Kona. She planned to stay as long as she could and return if possible.
“I don’t want to leave Pahoa,” she said.
“Unless the flow takes the building, I will not give it up.”
Nancy Cabral, owner of Day-Lum Rentals and Management, said the company will forgive lease payments for the six tenants that lease a building it manages at the marketplace.
One of the tenants is the Puna Community Medical Center, which plans to move in the next few days to a new location at 15-3039 Pahoa Village Road.
Dan Domizio, clinical programs director, said extra equipment will be stored in a shipping container at the new location.
“We are going to take everything and either use it at the annex or store it at the container,” he said.
The medical center has rented the annex for the past three months in anticipation that the flow would sever the highway. But it wasn’t anticipated it would be the medical center’s only location, Domizio said.
He said the medical center has the equipment it needs to continue serving lower Puna but not the funding.
“We’re desperate for money,” Domizio said, adding it may have enough for two to three months.
“We’re spending money with the assumption that somewhere along the line FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is going to come through and help us out.”
The medical center is accepting donations from other sources.
Those who can help can phone 930-6001 or email dand@punahealth.org.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.