Mainstreet Pahoa Marketing & Business Plan 1997

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PAHDA VILLAGE PARIS BUSINESS AND MARKETING PLAN I. Introduction The ose u of this report is to provide a business and marketing plan for a proposed P rP re P Farmer's Market and Visitor Center to be located at the Pahoa Village Park 'n the town of Pahoa located in the district of Puna on the island of Hawaii. This report is funded by the State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) through a Community Based Economic Development (CBED) grant to the Mainstreet Pahoa Association (MSPA) Inc. . The Vi11a a of Pahoa Pahoa "village" is a 2.3 sq. mi. enclave of residential, commercial, public services and historic sites located in the heart of the lower Puna District. The village is geographically defined by a - segment ment of what was once Highway 130, now known simply as "Pahoa g Road ". Highway 130 now wraps around Pahoa town as a by -pass section, leaving a length g Y P of "main street" through Pahoa town of approximately 3 miles long. At one time, almost the entire length of this 3 -mile stretch was filled with small grocery stores, general stores, barber g shops, pool halls, theaters, soda water works and tofu factories. The econom lantation also contributed stables, a plantation dispensary, 3 bakeries, P y 2 meat markets and a hotel to the town's commercial activity. With the demise of sugar production in the 1970's, the last sugar mill in Puna closed its doors in 1954. This stretch P . of commercial activities shrank over the years, compounded by a drop in visitors when the Kaimu black sand beach was overrun by recent lava flows. Pahoa is located 24 miles south of the Hilo Airport, 16 miles from Keaau, and is the economic and social hub for residents living in Lower Puna's 23 subdivisions, some known to be the largest in the United States. Many of these subdivisions were adopted in the early 1950's rior to the County's comprehensive zoning code was adopted, and are therefore P Y lackin g in county infrastructure. These areas have recently in- filled rapidly in recent years due to its affordabili ty m and as Puna has become a bedroom community with Hilo and other parts of the island as employment centers. Built in 1909 at a railway crossing, Pahoa town was once a rugged "sawmill" settlement in the late 1800's. It then became a "sugar" town with the advent of large scale p sugar production that affected hundreds of small settlements up and down the eastern g coastline of the big island. Its rich history can be found in its old style storefront architecture. The "Akebono Theater" is approximately 78 years old and is the oldest operating theater in the State. The Pahoa Variety Building was constructed in 1932, and P g the Bamboo House was constructed in 1918. Some of the last remaining wooden sidewalks in the State can be found in front of buildings along Pahoa's main street. The present 3