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Oʻahu · Business · Military Service

A shop is a promise to your neighbors

Herbert Sakai recalls opening a machine shop in Kalihi in 1961, and the unwritten rules of doing business in the neighborhood.

Storyteller

Herbert Sakai

Kalihi · 1930s

Second-generation machinist who built a family shop in Kalihi after returning from service.

Transcript

Nobody signed anything. If you told somebody Tuesday, it was Tuesday. One time I worked all Sunday night because I said Tuesday. That is the whole business right there.

Themes

  • Work ethic
  • Neighborhood
  • Enterprise

Shared publicly with the storyteller's written permission. Read our kuleana.