[ MAUKA MAKAI ]
Gene and Kimberly Gelfo, above, relax at the soda fountain in the Rock Island Cafe at King's Village, which the Gelfo family owns. The establishment is a collectibles shop/soda fountain/pizza parlor/bar.
Good old days,
everydayRock Island Cafe is a slice
from the '50s and '60s
EVERY EVENING at 6:15 p.m., members of the King's Guard perform for the public under the watchful eye of a statue at the entrance of King's Village in Waikiki.
For the last nine months, however, a second ambassador has joined the guard statue in welcoming both tourists and kamaaina to the shopping center.
He's a king -- just not of the same lineage as the Hawaiian royalty that King's Village is named after. Just outside the Rock Island Cafe, a statue of Elvis Presley welcomes customers back to the '50s and '60s as they pass by the entrance to the collectibles shop/soda fountain/pizza parlor/bar.
THE VARIETY works well for the store, which moved into the space formerly occupied by a Japanese restaurant last fall. Prior to the relocation, Rock Island Cafe had resided in a second-floor retail space at the shopping center.
Operated by members of the Gelfo family, the business is a derivative of another that originally got its start in the late 1960s. When Eugene Gelfo Jr. and his then-wife, Jo Carol, first came to Hawaii from Pennsylvania, they opened the Royal Peddler on Kalakaua Avenue, following it with another location at King's Village when it was built in 1971.
"I was born and grew up in the business," said Michael Gelfo, who returned to the islands four years ago after getting his college degree from Loyola Marymount University and working in Los Angeles' entertainment industry.
After he "tried to do the Hollywood thing for a while," the Punahou graduate moved back home and approached his family with the idea to take the Royal Peddler and give it an old-school twist.
"We try to do everything with a retro feel to it," Michael explained earlier this week from behind a display case in the store. The walls are covered with old movie posters, signed celebrity head shots and other signage dating back to the '50s.
In addition to collectible spoons, jewelry and other scrimshaw items that have carried over from his parents' store, there's also a ton of objects featuring Elvis, the Beatles, Marilyn Monroe and other celebrities of yesteryear. And everything is available for purchase.
"The idea is that everything's for sale," said Michael. "You can come and eat on those tables and chairs over there, and they're for sale, too."
A variety of antiques and memorabilia, including Betty Boop tables...
SO, NOT only can you pick up a set of vintage-style Coca-Cola glasses or a Betty Boop bobblehead doll during a visit to Rock Island Cafe, there's also room to sit down and enjoy an old-fashioned milkshake, specialty pizza or even a drink from the "Hollywood Collection" of cocktails available at the bar.
"It's kind of an innovative fusion," Michael said. "The overall experience of coming into Rock Island Cafe is what's made me really happy lately.
"It's an experience coming to see the whole thing."
Sit down at a table near the back, and you can place an order for a 33- or 45-rpm (a 6-inch personal size or 13-inch large size) pizza with names like "Yellow Brick Road," "The Duke," "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" or "Elvis' King Creole." Show up between 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., and a personal pizza with a beer will cost you $10.
The creative names don't stop with the pizzas, either. Traditional cocktails take on an old-school twist, like "Elvis' 'Moody Blues,'" also known as a Blue Hawaiian. A Mudslide is known here as a "Rebel Without a Cause," and other drinks like the "I Love Lucy," "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "Hard Day's Night" and "Kisses from Marilyn" all give a nod to stars from the past.
And just as you could more than five decades ago, it's possible to get an old-fashioned flavored soda or a milkshake prepared with what appears to be vintage equipment from the era. A variety of coffee drinks and smoothies are also available.
ON ANY given day, there's a good chance you'll see at least two or three members of the Gelfo family taking care of business in different parts of the store. Both Michael and his sister, Kim, work seven days a week. Their father, who remarried after getting divorced from Jo Carol, also comes in almost every day, as does his current wife, Flo.
"It's a group effort around here," Michael said. "Everyone puts in their two cents."
From day one, he continues, each member of the family needed to know how every facet of the business worked. Jo Carol and Flo, with more than 50 years of retail sales experience between them, each learned how to make drinks and pizzas in addition to selling merchandise. Earlier this week, it was Kim who ran the show at Rock Island Cafe's bar, serving up cocktails while bussing tables and bringing out pizzas from the kitchen.
"It's nice to have a strong family to fall back on," he said. "Around here we all wear every different hat. ... We're all learning the business from the ground up and doing everything."
Doing everything these days also includes promoting live entertainment, since Rock Island Cafe now has its own stage inside the store.
"Every Thursday we have an Elvis show, and every Sunday we have a Beatles band," he said. "We're looking for a Beach Boys band right now."
And if things go well, don't be surprised to see more store locations popping up around the islands and on the mainland.
"We've had a number of people interested in franchising," Michael said with a satisfied smile. "It's always a possibility."
On the cover: The Gelfo family stands proudly before their store, the Rock Island Cafe, in King's Village. From right are: Michael, Gene, Florence, JoCarol, and Kimberly Gelfo.
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