Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Kriegh

Hi Kimberly, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?

My story: I grew up in San Francisco with a talent for everything art. I wanted to be the next Paula Abdul so I spent my summers singing and dancing from a very young age. I was lucky to find the San Francisco Girls Chorus and became part of their touring ensemble and was able to make money while doing what I loved most, singing. I was accepted into the School of the Arts where I majored in Vocal Music while still continuing to work with the San Francisco Girls Chorus. After High School, I attended college and although still continued to sign here and there, my art became more of a hobby than a career. However, I applied my ability to perform across all aspects of my life in the form of being charismatic and well versed in public speaking and public interaction.
I learned quickly that a typical “nine to five” was not how I wanted to live my life. I needed to be in a space where I could be creative with my thoughts and apply my talent in a way that would directly impact my life or the people around me, so I naturally gravitated to entrepreneurship.
A family trip to Hawaii ignited a fire to be a successful business owner in paradise and leave a decade long career in exchange for the freedom I needed professionally and the quality family time we all yearned for. We ended up purchasing a small family organic grocery store in a fairly remote area of the island. Although I have never even worked at a grocery store, I feel like the understanding is there automatically since, everyone needs groceries, and shops at grocery stores! I could take the ideas I have from the standpoint of a consumer and apply them to my store and continue to build on that. And here we are!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

Smooth?! Hahaha, if anyone who owns their own business tells you it’s been a smooth ride, they are probably lying to you. As the owner of your business, there is no other person to call when something goes wrong. You either pay professionals to do it for you, or if you’re like me, you learn to do them all yourself.
I always have struggles here and there and for various reasons, but I strive to become the best at all aspects of my business, and spend a great deal of time mastering those skills so I can be successful. I don’t just want to hire someone to do it for me, because then I will never learn or understand the “why” and “how” behind anything. I learned accounting, taxes, HR, ordering, shipping, receiving, management and training, sales, the list goes on forever really. But with each new hurdle, I add a couple more feathers under my hat when I am able to tackle them and figure out each opposition one by one. I now welcome the struggles because each is a new and unique way to learn something new.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Pauwela Store?

Pauwela Store is one of the only local small family businesses in Haiku Maui that provide organic groceries for our community. We are more than just a grocery store…We are the late-night ice cream stop when all other businesses are closed. We are the local store where you can pick up a last-minute gift for a friend or loved one or a fancy bottle of champagne or French wine for a celebration, a bite to eat or food for dinner, and even a place to visit with your neighbors and local travelers. We put Hawaii first and source locally as much as possible. By providing and showcasing other local businesses, we are able to breathe life back into small Hawaii based businesses so that we can all succeed.

Our economy is ever changing and the demands on people are changing with it, they need a small local business that cares about them and their time. By making a conscious choice to listen to our customers and deliver on their needs, ultimately defines our stores success.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?

Ew…COVID…

Lucky for us grocery stores were deemed an “essential businesses”; my heart breaks just saying that, thinking of the negative impacts closing small local businesses had on people and their families.
It’s far too easy to focus on the negative aspects that the pandemic had on everyone, it brought out the worst but also the best in many people. The island was shut down to tourists for a period of time, and that really allowed us to grow organically within our own community. I think it was during that time that many neighbors discovered that we even existed and we really got to earn the trust of our customer’s by remaining open and vigilant to serving the needs of our community and listening to their individual stories. We met many other local businesses that were forced to close and we offered to carry their items in our store, which gave them an avenue to continue to sell their products while having to pivot to this new way of life until they could reopen again. Some of our most treasured local items and business relationships were formed during that time. We really all had each other’s backs, it was a beautiful thing to be a part of and to witness local businesses helping each other out. We have a great team here on Maui!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pauwelastore.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pauwelastore/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pauwelastoremaui?locale=tl_PH
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8LkM4IQR00
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pauwela-store-haiku-pauwela

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