<Begin Segment 24>

TI: So, let's see... so then you were discharged from the military, and then you returned back to Kona?

SO: First, eventually, being with the air force, they assigned us with the air force, so now we're air force personnel. So then we got promoted, too. So after we got promoted for PFC to corporal, then said, "Oh, ready to go home, so you're gonna get your discharge." So we got our discharge, went to Camp Zama. And those days, everybody had to go to Camp Zama, that was an army placement depot, too. So from there we came home and then since we didn't get any, since I didn't get any leave in the service, said, "You'll get forty-nine days," they used to call it terminal leave. You can come home, and then no need to go back to the base again. So I got a terminal leave for forty-nine days, and then in December I got discharged. And after that... before that, I volunteered for three more years as a reserve. So I got discharged from the reserve in 1949.

TI: Okay. But then you returned to Hawaii, or Kona.

SO: Kona, yeah.

TI: And so what, who was watching the business? Who was taking care of the business while you were gone?

SO: Oh, the whole brothers and sisters were back home taking care.

TI: And how was the business doing back then?

SO: Well, business was doing good. Then in 1948, I planned to use the GI Bill and go get some more schooling. But the fire came, so that was it. I had to stay home after that. That was in August. We had a Filipino show, and usually the Filipino show ends at nine-thirty. But that night, it ended ten o'clock, and like Filipinos, Filipino customers were different. After the show is over, then they'll come and buy bread, sugar, cream, all those necessities, so we had to wait for them. And that night, ten o'clock, and then it didn't take, after we closed the store, it didn't take too long, then I heard a crackling sound. So when I got up, I saw a full flame under the store. So that's how the fire started, from under the store.

TI: So do you know how it started under the store?

SO: No.

TI: Was it a common thing for fires to start like that?

SO: Just happened to our store. No, the investigator said maybe from our compressor, you know, we have a refrigeration compressor.

TI: So you saw the flames underneath the store, and then what happened?

SO: And then I went to wake up everybody, then first thing came to my mind was take out all the three cars. Took out all the three cars, then I went to help next door. He had an appliance store, so he had a two-story building, so went to help him take out all his clothing and everything with the other big boys. We had to remove all the heavy appliances, the ice box, the washing machines, and oh, everything got engulfed in no time. So four buildings just went down fast.

TI: And, you know, I read someplace where you were anticipating a big strike, and so right before the fire, you had stocked up with lots of goods and supplies.

SO: Yeah, those days, every few years was shipping strike. Shipping strike can last from thirty days, sixty days or longer, so we had to stock up on all the necessities like rice and all those things. And we didn't have fire insurance for the building or for the merchandise, so we just lost everything. And there was a contractor that was looking for job. So he said, "I can help you build." But we didn't have any (fire) insurance, we lost. So as soon as Walter Ackeman, one of Bank of Hawaii bankers, said, "You know, you guys been honest people, so I'm gonna lend you eight thousand dollars, so go right ahead and build." So we asked the contractor, yeah, if he can help us out with our building. So no problem. For eight thousand, a store is just an outer shell, so you can put it up fast. So he put up our building in a month time. And then we bought the lumber for shelves, and that's how we started the business. And we couldn't afford the cash registers, so we just used cash boxes. And then the only cooler we bought was a soda cooler, so that's what we used and that's how we started from scratch again.

TI: And how did you supply the store, though, with goods? I mean, where did you get those, the money to get all the products to sell?

SO: Well, the Hilo wholesalers were nice enough that they would give us three months' credit. So that's how we started, with three months' credit, and then after that, got things rolling.

TI: How long do you think it took the family to recover from the fire?

SO: I think it took about three years.

TI: And so during that time, was it hard? I mean, did everyone just have to be really frugal with their spending and the money? I mean, it must have been hard.

SO: Well, those days, we didn't have too much competition, business competition. And then since we had our new store, then we were able to get new customers coming in. And then with all the family helping, we didn't have to hire outsiders, so made it much easier for us to recover. And just happened, the coffee prices coming better, too, at that time, so that made it much, much easier for us.

TI: So explain that. You said the coffee prices were better, so people had more money?

SO: That's right, yeah.

TI: You know, when the fire happened, did, was there any discussion about maybe the family doing something else and not doing the store? So, I mean, you lost everything, so I suppose you could have started something else. Was there any discussion like maybe the family should do something else?

SO: The only thing we had was (three cars), so we were able to run the taxi business. So we were just waiting for the store to be rebuilt. That didn't take too long, so we were fortunate to recover faster that way.

TI: And so that was back in 1948.

<End Segment 24> - Copyright © 2010 Densho. All Rights Reserved.