In Kaimuki, Eclectic Businesses Are Rising From The Ashes Of The Pandemic 0 Many of the businesses combine more than one revenue stream — haircuts and drinks, for instance — and they are embracing the neighborhood’s Main Street vibe.
On a recent Tuesday afternoon, Anca Balbaie, the chef, social media manager, cashier and general shopkeeper at the new restaurant and grocery Papa Cristo’s on Waialae Avenue, looked out the window and waved at the passerby, Zoe Zhang, proprietor of the new Plantoem plant store, cafe and poetry salon.
“It’s like home,” Balbaie said of her new neighborhood. “It’s so cozy, and everybody knows everybody.”
It’s far from clear whether that cozy feeling will be enough to sustain fledgling enterprises like Papa Cristo’s and Plantoem amid the uncertainties of Covid-19’s shape-shifting variants. But one thing seems clear: entrepreneurs are flocking to Kaimuki, taking over storefronts left vacant amid the pandemic. And part of the allure is the small-town Main Street vibe.
