CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Ross Hirakawa, left, is taking over the 60-year-old family business, Palolo Auto Service, from father Jim and mother Florence. Will Ross's daughter Chasie, 4, be next?
Hirakawas mark
60 years of serviceTheir Union 76 gas station and
repair shop is a Palolo fixture
The Hirakawas may be among the best known families in the Palolo/Kaimuki area.
This year, their Union 76 service station, known as Palolo Auto Service, marks its 60th anniversary at the busy corner of Waialae and Palolo avenues. The business is now serving its third generation of neighborhood customers.
When Harold Hirakawa opened the garage in 1944, Waialae Avenue was a two-lane road and Palolo Avenue was barely paved, recalls his son Jim Hirakawa, aged 73.
Jim and his wife Florence are now semi-retired. Their son Ross, 34, runs the day-to-day operations at the garage. But Jim can regularly be found there helping customers and Florence keeps her hand in doing some of the garage's accounting.
Unlike many of Honolulu's old-time service stations, Palolo Auto has survived in part because Harold had the foresight to buy the land underneath it. Had it not been for Harold's decision, Palolo Auto would be a very different kind of business today, say the Hirakawas. It would likely have become a gas 'n' go operation owned by an oil company.
It also has survived because it has a loyal customer base and a group of longtime dedicated employees.
"Most service stations have a high turnover. We've got one employee, Roy, who has been here longer than I've been alive - so that's 37 years he's been here. Even the youngest mechanic has been around now for at least 10 years," Ross says.
The garage's independence means it can continue to offer old-fashioned customer service, such as full-serve gas pumping and auto repairs that are guaranteed.
Some customers even have long-standing charge accounts with the garage where they can sign for repairs and receive a bill later.
"There are maybe 20 or so house charge accounts left over from the old days," Ross says.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Jim Hirakawa of Palolo Auto Service talks about the gas business while son Ross takes a phone call.
One longtime customer is Alice Taga, who is 87 and still driving.
"I don't know where I'd go if we had to change (service stations)," she says.
Taga remembers Palolo Auto almost from its very beginnings.
"When I first went there, Jimmy was just a boy, maybe 10 or 15. He used to come in with his father and get in people's way," she says.
For Jim, being part of a family business meant adhering to very strict standards set by his father.
"My dad was such a samurai. He'd teach me something and I'd better know it well by the next day," he says.
When it came time for Ross to decide on a career, Jim said he was surprised that Ross was willing to join the business.
"I didn't expect it. Young people these days don't want to work 12 or 14 hours a day," he says.
But Ross, who says he grew up in the garage, can't imagine having any other kind of career. Having his dad come in several times a week also allows him to spend more time with his own family, especially four-year-old daughter Chasie.
Now that he runs the operation, Ross says he has a better appreciation for how hard his dad worked to keep the business going, especially in tough economic times.
"I don't know how he did it as long as he did," Ross says. "I don't know whether he'll ever fully retire."
Dennis Tomiyasu, another longtime customer who is now close to 80, says it's the service that Jim, Florence, Ross and their employees offer that keeps him coming back to Palolo Auto Service.
"If you find a good garage, you just hang onto it," Tomiyasu says.
"They have been fair and upright with us. They're very helpful.You're their customer, they take care of you. That's what I like. They can be really busy, but they still make space for us.
"I think we're fortunate to still have people like them operating garages," he says.
