Take the anxiety of living paycheck-to-paycheck, multiply it by a gazillion and you'll have an idea of how scary it is to be starting a new business right now.

However, an undertaking like Simply Organized, a 12,000- square-foot retail sister-store to City Mill Co. Ltd., is a calculated risk, long in the planning.

“;While this might not be the best time to open a new store, we continue to invest in the Hawaii community with new services and new jobs,”; said Steven Ai, president of Simply Organized LLC and City Mill, in a statement. “;We are strongly committed to serving Hawaii. Hawaii is our home and our roots.”;

The company has hired 20 employees, all from West Oahu.

When times are tough people tend to stay home more, and “;when people feel their lives are a little bit out of control, “;organizing ... is one small, inexpensive and easy way to feel a little bit more in control and happy about your space,”; said Carol Ai May, vice president.

“;We bought that property in 2003,”; she said.

She and her brother Steven formed Lettuce Expand LLC to team up on the land purchase and shopping center development with Crocodile Partners, a venture of the Chun family of Chun Wah Kam Noodle Factory Inc.

“;We want interesting retailing and food places,”; said Ai May. Teddy's Bigger Burgers will be among them.

The siblings had seen a need for Simply Organized, given Hawaii families' cramped quarters - and the proliferation of storage businesses on prime property, when such facilities “;used to be in the boondocks, or near the airport,”; she said.

The two cite adaptability as a reason for the company's longevity.

In the 1990s when big-box stores were “;putting companies like City Mill out of business, we would go shopping”; and model what successful stores were doing.

However, City Mill's 109-year history of surviving business cycles does not guarantee success, Ai May said.

“;We're a local business and we're taking a risk, investing in the shopping center and store. Nobody gives us any handouts to do it or tax breaks to do it ... we have to provide the service and merchandise that people want and need.”;

The grand opening will start with a 9 a.m. blessing on Nov. 22 at the new Crossroads at Kapolei Shopping Center at Kamokila Blvd. and Wakea Street. Giveaways will include a car.

iExplore ranks us

Oahu is ranked No. 7 on the top-10 list of solo travel destinations by iExplore.com.

The only other U.S. destination to make the adventure-travel supplier list was No. 10, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The others, in order, are Serengeti, Tanzania; Sydney, Australia; Cuzco, Peru; Bora Bora, Fr. Polynesia; Antigua, Guatemala; Katmandu, Nepal and No. 9 the Red Sea, in Egypt.