Colorful pink flamingos demand attention when driving past the Kiso Store on Waipahu Street. Once inside, rows of Buddha statues, frogs and stone sculptures line the shelves. Birdbaths, Japanese lanterns, bridges and pedestals also are available to the home landscaper in search of decorative items that can withstand the elements.

“;Everything here is made out of concrete,”; said Russell Tamanaha, who works with his father, Paul, his aunt Dorothy Osakoda and his cousins Miles and Todd Osakoda to run the family business opened by his grandfather Kiso Tamanaha in 1945. “;The durability is pretty solid. It's only fragile in the sense that it can chip.”;

Use of concrete also makes the decor more affordable than sculpture carved from more expensive stone. At Kiso, Buddha sculptures range in price from $11.25 to $145. Pagodas cost between $50 and $130. And a pink flamingo or crane is $17.50 or $28.50, depending on size.

Kiso Store started as a dry-goods and hardware store. When Sears and other department stores started encroaching on the family business post-statehood, the family decided in the mid-1970s to switch their focus to stone and masonry.

Paul Tamanaha began working with his father at the “;mom-and-pop-style”; store at the age of 10.

“;We sold general merchandise before the big stores came to Hawaii and created competition. We manufactured a lot of clothing like jeans and trousers. We had a small sewing factory,”; he said. Most of the sales nowadays are geared toward do-it-yourself projects.

“;We don't have too much overhead, so we try to keep costs down,”; Paul said. “;Everything is made locally—we pour our own molds.”;

Russell too recalls spending lots of time in the store as a youngster, “;playing around or helping out.”; Riding the forklift was always fun, he said.

Today, Japanese lanterns are the most popular seller, according to Russell. “;People like to put them in their yards.

“;Buddhas, turtles and frogs ($16 to $30) are popular, too.”;