Keriann Osada remembers sleeping under the cash register at the original Vim N' Vigor in Kapahulu, where her parents began their health store business.

Her sister Sherrie Rodi recalls spending an entire summer peeling papaya for the store's legendary fresh fruit smoothies.

Both have memories of trying to sell Vim N' Vigor's whole wheat cookies at Sacred Hearts to supplement tuition costs for their parents - only none of the other kids would buy them because “;healthy wasn't cool back then,”; Rodi said.

“;They had one of the first health food stores in the state and we didn't want any part of it,”; Osada said.

The kids hated the brown rice plate lunches, the stone-ground whole wheat bread, and having to stand in line every morning to take vitamins, she said. They cried when they had carrot cakes on birthdays and yearned for Pop-Tarts and sweet cereal breakfasts and eating white rice bentos or white bread sandwiches at lunch like the other kids, Osada said.

The sisters worked hard in school, went to the University of California at Santa Clara, and put as much distance as they could between them and the family business. But they have since come full circle. By 1995, both sisters had returned to Hawaii to work for their parents Jules and Annette Kuzuki, who began the business in 1967. They bought their parents out in 2003, along with youngest sister Fudge Kuzuki. And, earlier this year, the sisters expanded the business with the opening of a 6,000-square-foot flagship store in Newtown Square in Pearl City. They also have a store at Ala Moana Center.

“;We never thought we would have said this when we were kids, but it has become our passion,”; said Rodi, who also shares her knowledge of healthy living with radio listeners, who tune into her show Health Smart on K108 (1080 AM) from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. weekdays.

While it took the sisters nearly 10 years to get their succession plan in place, the fact that the small business has survived into the next generation is a testament to its strong foundation, Osada said.

“;Less than one-third of family businesses go into the second generation,”; she said. “;It is a miracle that my parents were able to put all six of their kids through private school and college. They had four kids in college at the same time. It was crazy, but they made it work.”;

Using their parents as operating models on how to survive as a Hawaii small business, the sisters have staked their future, in part, on the past. They have been further inspired by stories like the Kaneohe man who had an inoperable liver tumor and reversed his outcome by following a special supplement and diet protocol from Vim N' Vigor, Rodi said.

“;He was able to get rid of the tumor in his liver. It's completely gone,”; Rodi said. “;We love it when we can help our customers stay healthy. It's in our best interest- that way they keep coming back.”;

  The sisters, along with their cousin, Michelle Johnston, now operate the largest locally owned health food store in the islands. Rodi does most of the marketing and customer outreach, Osada handles legal, construction and human resources matters, Kuzuki handles store operations and they've hired their closest cousin, Johnston, to handle most of the buying.

“;Keriann is the brains, Fudge is really the brawn and I'm kind of like the beauty - I'm the face of Vim N'Vigor anyway,”; Rodi said as she shared a laugh with her sister Osada.

Their cousin Johnston is kind of the go-to girl.

“;I ran into my cousin Fudge last year at Ala Moana on Fat Tuesday and she looked so tired and haggard,”; said Johnston, who at the time had recently moved back to Hawaii after living in Seattle.

“;She asked me to work in the store,”; Johnston said. “;I didn't hesitate. It's easier to work for family. If my son is sick or I'm stuck in traffic, it's a whole lot less hassle than if I worked for someone else.”;

It's also been a great opportunity to learn and share information with customers and other family members, Johnston said.

“;I've really become more knowledgeable about health care since I started working here and my family has been healthier,”; Johnston said. “;I used to have chronic sinus problems, but I don't anymore.”;

At her cousins' urging, Johnston has begun taking supplements, but that's only one component of the business. Unlike their parents, who primarily focused on supplements and smoothies, the sisters have expanded the reach of their new Pearl City store. But while they have been on their own since they took over the family business, the lessons that the former Kuzuki girls learned as children about the business and about life have stayed with them.

“;We couldn't go and play until we finished the work that needed to be down,”; Osada said. “;So, we learned that it's important to figure out what is the fastest and most efficient way to get the job done. We operate as sort of a unibrain - we make our decisions together.”;

They were all in agreement on taking the concept their parents started to another level. They have an internet site, http://www.vimnvigor.com, to continue tapping into revenue from the tourists who visit their Ala Moana shop. And, their new Pearl City store is stocked with packaged and fresh health food and produce, organic dairy, meats and cheeses as well as supplements and cosmetic and grooming products. A deli which offers a variety of soups, salads, organic plate lunches, toddler foods and fresh juices and smoothies also is slated to open tomorrow

“;Really, we want to reach people like us,”; Rodi said. “;We don't consider ourselves health nuts and we aren't vegetarians, but we do the best that we can to live a healthy lifestyle. Some people think that health food is just for hippies. We want to show them that it's for everyone.”;

And, yes, the Rodi and the Osada kids, like their parents before them, eat healthy.

“;We are brainwashing our kids. But it's easier now,”; Rodi said, picking up brightly colored, kid-friendly packages of whole-grain frosted Pop-Tarts and cocoa cereal.

“;This stuff is really tasty,”; she said. “;We didn't have these choices when we were growing up.”;

Besides, nowadays it's cool to eat organic, and nearly everyone has tasted a smoothie, Rodi said.

“;Our kids love it,”; she said. “;Their friends tell them, 'Oh, you're so lucky to eat organic.' “;

With their children in mind, the young mothers also have opened a play center inside the store that provides short-term child care options so that parents can lunch or shop in peace. Children's play classes also will be offered.

“;It's what we would want,”; said Osada, who has two children, 4-year-old Zachary and 1-year-old Jacob. Rodi has three children: 7-year-old Calista, 5-year-old Daniel and 2-year-old Sibby.

Another sister's autistic child has inspired them to carry lots of gluten and wheat-free groceries because the latest research has shown that eliminating these items from the diet is beneficial to autism, she said.

Later, they hope to open a mini-spa where customers can book services such as facials and massage, Osada said.

“;We thought it would be really nice to have a store where our customers can come in and do grocery shopping and pamper themselves a little bit, she said.

Of course running a small business in Hawaii is less about play and more about work -lots of it, Osada said.

“;There are many times we go without being paid,”; she said. “;Here in Hawaii, sometimes small-business employees get paid more than the owners who assume all the risk and all the hard work.

However, the trade-off is that small-business owners get to realize their creativity and see their ideas put to good use, Osada said.

  “;You change people's lives and you help them - that's a great feeling,”; she said. “;There is more to life than money.”;