Editor’s note: West Hawaii Today, in conjunction with the Kona Historical Society, is pleased to present readers a weekly feature compiled by the society called “A Guide to Old Kona.” These articles and accompanying photographs have been compiled and provided by Kona Historical Society and were published previously in a book of the same title.
K. Komo Store
K. Komo Store has been a welcome oasis for thirsty travelers (and automobiles) since the early 1900s. One of the oldest operating general merchandise stores and gas stations in North Kona, Komo Store’s cheerful green and white exterior is typical of a style of architecture popular in the early 1900s in Kona.
Kakuro Komo came to Hawaii from Hiroshima-ken, Japan, near the end of the 19th century. He worked for Kona Development Co. as a locomotive engineer during the days when sugar was big business in mauka Kona. Later he worked for Puuwaawaa Ranch as a truck driver. His wife, Yoshi Mimaki, came from Yamaguchi-ken as a “picture bride.” The Komos settled down in the ahupuaa of Keopu to raise a family and work at Kakuro’s uncle’s store. Ken Komo, Kakuro’s youngest son and store owner today, was born at the store in 1928.
Three generations of the Komo family have worked to keep Komo Store a successful enterprise along the mauka road. Today Ken Komo and his wife, Mutsumi, continue the family tradition of serving the nearby community. Although payment is no longer made with bags of coffee, the people of Keopu still grow Kona’s famous crop. In fact, the Komos sell their own estate-grown coffee under the KK label at their store.
Copyright 1998 Kona Historical Society. Reprinted by permission.