NAALEHU ACE HARDWARE

Nice store, pretty well stocked for a small, obscure, issolated town.

I have been a steady patron there for 26 years.

Unfortunately for me, the assistants there were largely born and raised in the area, which is nice in its way but for the term "provincial" which translates, in this case, to lack of intellectual understanding.

To preface, I am 4th generation local caucasion on two sides in Hawaii. My
great grandfather, James Webster, ran Pepe'ekeo Sugar for 32 years out of Scottland. My grandfather, Donald Templeton Hall ran Hilo Iron Works for 22 years before transfering to Honolulu and managing Honolulu Iron Works for 12 years. He and Webster were responsible, along with a lot of other educated caucasians, for designing and implementing plans for the roads around Hawaii Island. They had the influence, the money and the education to do it.

It was also my family and people like them, who brought the Philipino, Japanese, Chinese and Portugese imigrants to Hawaii to have gainfull employment. Their families would still be back in the old country without people like my family, who set the infrastructure for places like ACE Naalehu to exist.

My compliant involves treament by manager Richard. One day I made the hastey mistake of borrowing a small, halloween work bucket to put flowers in for a receptionist at the clinic down the street. I was going to return it after she had taken the flowers out the next day. Unfortunately, I got busy and forgot altogether. It was a small, old, used Halloween bucket form the outside of the store, and I was trying to do something good for this person, as it was her birthday and she had been very helpful to me in the past year.

About a week later, I got confronted by Richard and another male employee while shopping at the store. Ruchard was very turse and angry and his accomplice was acting very phisically theatening.

"I saw you take what you did" Richard quipped. "You have two choices: leave the store and be banned from all ACE Hardware stores on the island for a year, or, have the police called and we can file charges against you for shplifting."

I was obviously taken aback and replied "Ive been coming into this sti
store for over 20 years now and have spent thousands of dollars here. Im not a theif, I was just borrowing it temporarily". He said "I don't care" in a very calous and hateful voice. I decided not to argue any further and left the store. I felt very disrepected, misunderstood and racially abused.

Its now over a year and a half later, and, I am back shoping at the store. I feel the need to avoid the Philipino who thinks he's Hawaiian, Richard, but, when I walk past him he gives me an angry stare as if he wants to fight me and is not willing let by-gones be by-gones. Its distressing and completly disrepectful.

A word to the wise: Don't think for one minute that Richard is sincere in his apparent grace. He, like many Philipino immigrants, is angry and has angry ingrate "victims of the caucasian race" forefathers who have no appreciation for being in Hawaii and who act as if they have Hawaiian blood and deserve to be here more than local caucasions like me - 4th generation on two sides.

Thank you for your time,

Donald Hall,
Waiohinu.

Best service from a hardware store. Needed a fan and they were so helpful over the phone and in person.

Great selection, awesome associates, and reasonable prices at this small, remote store that is a blast from the past. Support this local business!