Gear up for the outdoors

A husband and wife paddle upstream to open a sports lifestyle store at Ward Gateway Center

Teo Clemens and Drae Kahale-Clemens, husband and wife paddling enthusiasts, have dreamed of owning their own business since they were high school sweethearts.

Now the pair, along with their children, 7-year-old Pi'ikea and 5-year-old Duke, have sailed into high gear with the opening of Mauka to Makai Outdoor Gear Hawaii at the high-profile Ward Gateway Center.

Though the couple had no prior experience as retail owners, their passion and commitment persuaded General Growth Properties to lease a coveted spot to their startup.

"We were determined," said Clemens, who has coached his wife's paddling team, the Kailua Canoe Club, for the last several years, bringing her across the channel four times.

The store, which carries top sports lines like Patagonia, Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, The North Face, Life is Good, Gramicci, Prana, Surf Line Hawaii, Arbor Snowboards and Dakine, helps keep the athletic family in style and fulfills their need to run their own business, he said.

While Kahale-Clemens worked in the real estate industry as a lobbyist for many years and Clemens worked in collections at the gas company, the pair said that they have been preparing to strike out on their own from the beginning of their union.

"We've been planning for this store for at least eight years," Kahale-Clemens said. "We always had the ambition and the passion."

From the time they were newlyweds until now, the couple have scrimped and saved to keep up their credit to build their savings and to eliminate debt so that they one day could finance their dreams. The work paid off when they were able to open their sportswear and sporting goods store in November 2005.

"We used some savings and took out a loan to make this work," said Clemens, who recently left his day job at the gas company to join his wife full time at their new shop, which caters to sports enthusiasts like themselves.

The store's mission is to outfit Hawaii's active professionals/lifestyle with the highest-quality products available, made by companies that are sensitive to the environment, Kahale-Clemens said.

"Mauka to Makai Outdoor Gear Hawaii is committed to impacting people's lives by being an active member of the community and will continue to expand our customer base by keeping a pulse on the outdoor industry," she said.

Eventually, the family hopes to grow their business into a chain and manufacture their own goods.

"We are always looking for more," Clemens said.

Though it takes long hours to build a business, the couple have enjoyed spending more time together and incorporating their children and extended families into the business plan as well.

"Our families are the first priority for both of us," Kahale-Clemens said. "They provide constant spiritual and moral support."

Kahale-Clemens' sister works at the store as does Clemens' brother and their children are walking billboards.

"They like to dress up in our clothing lines and pretend to be interviewed on TV," Kahale-Clemens said.

"Just recently, I caught them using a paper towel holder as a microphone."