The final touch of the restoration of the landmark Keauhou Store was completed on Thursday as its flagpole was re-installed over the 97-year-old general store on Mamalahoa Highway in Keauhou mauka.
The final touch of the restoration of the landmark Keauhou Store was completed on Thursday as its flagpole was re-installed over the 97-year-old general store on Mamalahoa Highway in Keauhou mauka.
Hand carved from a single piece of Douglas fir by original store owner and builder Yoshisuke Sasaki, the 22-foot-long pole was taken down for refurbishing in 2010 by new owners Kurt and Thea Brown, who have been Holualoa residents for nearly 40 years.
A raise the flagpole donation jar in the store had been collecting contributions for the past two years. Residents and visitors added funds for the project, as well as income from the sale of original paintings of the classic building by the West Hawaii Plein Air Painters.
Steven Lee Carpentry Contractor brought their crane truck to the site to lift the freshly painted pole to the top of the building and within minutes the pole was dropped into the guide holes fashioned by Sasaki when he added the deco facade to the store in 1947.
Old Glory once again flies over the Keauhou Store, while the original 48-star flag is proudly displayed in the front window of the restored upcountry building.
A complete photographic chronicle of the Keauhou Store’s restoration is on its website at keauhoustore.com