Kihei Pet Supply - Closed Sept 27th 2024

Aloha everyone, I'm Joe and I have been the owner of Kihei Pet Supply for the past 2 years. My store has gone through many changes and upgrades since I took over in order to make it as community involved as possible, making it more than just another "pet store". When the wildfires occurred on August 8th 2023, I brought my dog Sapphire and I kept my store open 24 hours a day for 3 straight days providing a refuge for evacuees, people traumatized by what was going on, and taking in several burned/injured animals until they could get picked up for emergency treatment. I gave all I could, my store becoming a safe haven for victims where they could talk story, take a few breaths, get hugs, cry, and interact with the store cats and dog.

In the months since then, I have lost a lot of my regular customers... several didn't make it out of Lahaina, many lost their animals or had to give them up, and hundreds have moved off the island. I have been trying to keep up with the bills, but I have finally reached a point where I may have to close the store if I cannot catch up with my vendors and my outstanding bills. I'm not someone that gives up easily, but I'm painted in a corner. I have 1 subprime business loan that I have to pay back weekly, 2 microloans with daily repayments, and a line of credit that is maxed out. I have tried to qualify for help from FEMA, Maui Nui, Maui Strong, and tried 4 times to get an SBA loan, all to be denied and disqualified. I have a bankruptcy on my record from when I was run over on October 16th 2020 so declaring bankruptcy again or qualifying for any more help and/or loans isn't possible and was 1 of the reasons for getting denied an SBA loan and a personal loan. I don't have a vehicle, I don't own a home, and so I have nothing to give as collateral.

I'm seeking donations to help pay my credit cards (maxed out paying for merchandise, about $4,000), pay off high interest subprime business loans and line of credit ($30,000 total), pay off my vendors (local and mainland, so I can start ordering and restocking the store again, around $40,000), and help pay my tax bill (so far, I owe Hawai'i state $5,333.83 , haven't gotten final bill from Federal yet).

I have put a lot of my heart and time in trying to make Kihei Pet Supply a place for the animal loving community, and I truly don't want to lose everything I've been working towards.

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide, whether it's donating, telling your friends and family about my store, and for letting everyone know about my GoFundMe. I, my dog, my cats, and my loyal customers truly appreciate you!

All my best,

Joe

Owner, Kihei Pet Supply

Above - Projekt, my baby boy kitten from the Lahaina Fires, no burns and loves to trash my store.

Above - Holly, my 2 1/2 yo female cat, burned in Lahaina Fires, fully recovered in my store.

Above - Rocky, my 4 yo female kitty from Lahaina Fires. She was traumatized and is very shy and hides in the back but is a true sweetheart.

Above - Sassy (left) and Cali (right). Sassy is the last of the OGs from the original store in Kukui Mall, Cali was a feral at Kukui Mall and as you can see, both love each other and the store!

Above - Sapphire, my 2 yo female Pitbull/Catahoula mix. She loves to greet people when she's in the store and loves all animals even if they don't always love her.