Two adventurous isle women
By Catherine E. Toth
took their business savvy to the
Windy City and now market
Hawaii products in mall kiosks
Special to the Star-BulletinCHICAGO -- IT WAS THE LAST THING ONE SHOP- per thought he would see in the middle of Chicago's third worst blizzard in its history: a plastic flower lei. "That's something I never expected," said the Honolulu native, who paused for a moment in front of MJ's Aloha, a small wooden merchandise stand on the lower concourse of a suburban mall.
And opening a kiosk stocked with products from Hawaii was something Mary Jane Menor Orbina and Marylou Bungcayao Solamillos never expected either.
In December 1992, the two best friends packed up a few week's worth of clothes, got on a plane at Honolulu International Airport, and headed to Chicago. Neither of them had ever experienced a true winter, complete with subzero-degree temperatures. This trip to Chicago was just an adventure.
"We just wanted to see winter," said Orbina, 32, who moved to Maui from the Philippines in 1989. "It was like a joke."
"It was never in our minds to do this," added Solamillos, 33, who lived in Honolulu for three years and Guam for five months.
The winter escapade turned into a permanent relocation for the two who met at a high school in Laoag City in the Philippines. But Orbina said she never lost her love for Hawaii. That's why she and Solamillos decided to bring all the things they remember and love about the islands to the Chicago suburbs.They opened their first retail unit in Harlem Irving Plaza in North Chicago in April 1998. Three months later, they opened another kiosk in Lincolnwood Town Center in a neighboring suburb. And this past June, they got another kiosk up and running, this time at Golf Mill Shopping Center, which is interested in moving MJ's Aloha into a standing store next year.
Business, according to Orbina, is doing that well. "People here give me the courage to keep doing this," she said.
"I still have that Aloha Spirit from Hawaii, and the people here love it. (Our kiosk) makes people happy. It brings back memories."
Orbina said the business became profitable after six months. Most of that profit, however, was pumped back into their stores, mostly to buy more and varied merchandise.
Initially, they only sold food items from Hawaii, mainly chocolate covered macadamia nuts, and cookies and potato chips from Maui. Food sales averaged $100 a day, while the partners paid $1,500 a month in kiosk rent.
Today, their inventory includes aloha attire, Lions coffee, plastic flower leis, puka shell accessories and silk orchid plants.
But what MJ's Aloha is best known for are its dancing hula dolls.
"That dancing doll made me survive last year," said Orbina, who earned a bachelor of science degree in commerce with an emphasis in economics from the University of Santo Thomas in Manila. "That's what I'm known for. They call me the 'Dancing Doll Lady.' "
She said approximately 1,500 dolls were sold at all three kiosks last Christmas. The dolls range in price from $9.99 to $16.99.
"Her visual merchandising is excellent," said Robert Wagner, in charge of specialty leasing and director of public safety for General Growth Properties Inc., the company that manages Golf Mill, as well as owns and manages Ala Moana Shopping Center. "People who have been to Hawaii are especially drawn to her cart."
Wagner, who visited Hawaii just after serving in the Vietnam War, said Orbina's display brought back fond memories for him. "I was alive and in Hawaii," he said.
Orbina and Solamillos agree that hearing customers' nostalgic stories about Hawaii and seeing their faces light up as they browse through the merchandise make all their hard work worthwhile.
"We love it because we've met a lot of people and, well, it (gives us) the feeling of being home," Solamillos said.
MJ’s partners
By Catherine E. Toth
started with ambition,
but no plan
Special to the Star-BulletinMary Jane Menor Orbina said she didn't expect she and her friend Marylou Bungcayao Solamillos would be running their own business when they arrived in Chicago seven years ago.
Orbina got a job at the Holiday Inn in Rosemont, Ill., as a food and beverage controller. Solamillos started working as a credit manager at the same hotel. "We always end up working together," Orbina joked.
Solamillos, who earned her bachelor of science degree in commerce with an emphasis in accounting from Far Eastern University in Manila, said she applies her experience as a credit manager to her current role as co-owner of MJ's Aloha, a group of kiosks featuring foods from Hawaii and Hawaii-themed products.
"I am able to cope with lots of problems and find solutions. "I can handle a lot of stress."
As a controller, Orbina said she learned how to run a business, from cost analysis to inventory to accounting.
"I had the opportunity to get an all-around experience on how to manage restaurants and bars," she said. "That's when I started thinking about owning my own business."
She quit her job in 1996 and secured a business license. With financial support from her family in Hawaii, Orbina made plans to open a small kiosk stocked with Hawaii products.
"We did a Hawaiian store because we didn't see any here," she said. "I know it's a very interesting place, and it's an interesting place to talk about. We have things that can't be found in any other store."
Solamillos kept her job at the Holiday Inn, until they opened their second kiosk. When their third shop opened, Orbina asked her younger sister, Bhang Menor, to come to Chicago to help with the business. Orbina and Solamillos have since hired three part-time employees, who make 2 percent commission on products sold, and three family members also help out.
Orbina said she returns home every six months to keep up with the latest trends in the islands.
Back in Chicago, the two owners work six, sometimes seven, days a week, from opening to closing.
"We do a little bit of everything," Solamillos said. "We both help each other."
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