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unique value of Molokai, then perhapssomeone will step up to the plate—maybe one of his children.Like Kevin, Jeffery Egusa of FriendlyMarket took over his family’s business.Friendly got it’s start in January of1953. Just about a month before that,Jeff’s father had lost his job at KualapuuMarket. Shortly after, his aunt andEgusa played golf for a year, butrealized that he couldn’t remainunemployed, so he thought maybe he’dgo back to school and become a physicaltherapist. To prepare himself and seewhat the job would entail, he volunteeredat the Rehabilitation Hospital of thePacific. The next day they offered him ajob as a P.T. aide, and that’s what he didgood training for running a store sinceclerks were given the opportunity to dobuys. Still, Egusa was unsure about hiscareer path and had also applied for ajob as a fireman—his brother was onein California—but there was a one-yearmoratorium on hiring at the time.In 1978, when Egusa was goingto night school, he met Crystal. She(Above) Checkout counters at Friendly Market take you back in time. (Right) Egusa stands on the roof of Friendly Market, where he has hadsolar voltaic panels installed. The panels generate a sizable amount of electricity for the market. (Below) Produce at Friendly Marketuncle were asked by a local bigwig toopen a restaurant in Maunaloa, the tinyplantation village set in the hills on thewest end of Molokai. They agreed onthe condition that they would also beable to open a store in the restaurant,and so a second Friendly Market wasopened. Jeff came back to Molokai towork at Friendly Market in 1980, andhis father let him take over.But it wasn’t as simple as all that.Also a Mid-Pac grad, Jeffery Egusafinished in 1970, a few years ahead ofKevin Misaki. “When I was a kid, Iused to hate it,” says Egusa of his daysstacking the shelves. “I never expectedto come back to run Friendly—but youshould never say never.” After highschool he attended Menlo College inCalifornia. After a year, Egusa washomesick, so he came back to Hawaiiand earned a degree in sociology fromthe University of Hawaii at Manoa. Hewanted to become a social worker, butfelt he was too soft-hearted for the work.Instead, Egusa took a job as a warehouseman at Toshiba, during which time hebecame enamored with golf and quit.for the next year and a half. Although heliked the job, Egusa realized that, at theend of the day, the health care industrywas a business. “If it’s just a business,” hethought, “[Maybe] I should go work formy dad.” However, he hadn’t taken anybusiness classes and had no experience,and he wasn’t ready to go back just yet.Egusa took bookkeeping and otherclasses at night, and during the day, heworked at Longs Drugs because it waswas a Kauai girl who he had actuallyfirst met years earlier, and who he hadnow convinced to go out with him. Hewanted to marry Crystal, and it hit himabout having kids. He realized he didn’twant to raise children in the “big city” ofHonolulu, or on Oahu for that matter.However, Crystal had studied to becomea dental hygienist, and eventually movedback to Kauai to work for her father,who was a dentist. It was time for Egusa28 HAWAII RETAIL GROCER - CONVENTION ISSUE 2011