HONOKAA — On June 16, a 93-year-old building celebrated a new life with the grand opening of Fujino 1925 Café in Honokaa. This latest addition to the snack shop scene is a venture by Mai Lieu — a businesswoman, inventor, surfer, “Shark Tank” success story and shave ice aficionado.
Itsue Hino, 97, was one of her first customers.
“She told me, ‘I had to come here because I came here as a child to eat shave ice,’” Lieu said. “Another man came in and said the exact same thing. We get all kinds of people. One man drove all the way from Hilo to eat shave ice.”
The Fujino Building, and shave ice too, have been part of Honokaa’s history for a long time. Built in 1925, the structure has been the home of Takeko’s Beauty Shop and M. Fujino General Merchandise Store which sold groceries, Japanese silk goods, tobacco, cold drinks, Chinese seeds, candy and shave ice.
A Honokaa classic, CC John’s Snack Shoppe was in the building for 42 years, until Lieu purchased it in 2016 following her appearance on “Shark Tank,” ABC’s reality show that gives entrepreneurs a chance to bring their dreams to fruition. She was able to make a $200,000 deal on the show that greatly boosted sales for CreaClip, the DIY haircutting tool she invented. Lieu has since added several other products to her line and written a popular book, “Take the Next Step.”
In addition to her CreaProducts salon and a vacation rental, the Fujino Building housed the successful Fish &Poi restaurant that’s since expanded and moved down the street, creating the space for yet another of Lieu’s dreams to come true.
Like many of her ideas, the Fujino 1925 Café started with a dream board to visualize, clarify and manifest her dreams. In this case, Lieu was doing a dream board workshop with kids from the Hamakua Youth Center, and talking story with them about their ideas and entrepreneurship.
“I always tell kids when we do these workshops, ‘Once you get clear on what you really want, you never know — things align, you meet the right people at the right time,’” she said.
And so it happened when she bought the building.
“I knew it was for me,” Lieu said. “It had a salon, a restaurant and a rental in the back. I believe it was meant to happen because I was very clear on what I wanted … After that, doors opened.”
The Youth Center kids were the first guests in the new shop.
In addition to countless custom flavors of shave ice — with or without jellies, beans, ice cream or snow cap — the cafe also features boba, or bubble tea, made fresh every morning. Lieu says it’s a daily sellout.
“I eventually want to expand and add snacks,” she said. “As kids come in I ask what they want and often hear musubi. I think that’s the next step, adding it to the menu.”
She never imagined herself running a shave ice shop.
“Growing up, my parents had a Chinese restaurant and I, and my whole family, said never again,” Lieu remembered. “But when I purchased the building, I thought, this is not so complicated, and it’s more fun.”
She continued, “When I moved to Honokaa, I wanted to create businesses like this — something to give tourists a reason to stop. I want to encourage more businesses to come and open up, and I always encourage kids. Our town is so special. We will have to work together as a community to keep it that way.”
Opening day at Fujino 1925 Café was a grand success.
“Right when we opened the doors we were packed,” Lieu said. “One guest from the Netherlands — it was her first time having shave ice — she said it was so special how we put ice cream on the bottom and when you get to the end of the shave ice you get this creamy sweet surprise.”
Fujino 1925 Café is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Info: Go to Fujino Shave Ice LLC on Facebook
