A Molokai bookseller focuses on local arts and letters to keep business humming

KAUNAKAKAI >> When former hotel manager Teri Waros lost her job and decided to pursue her dream of opening a bookstore on Molokai more than seven years ago, most of her friends and advisers predicted she was writing her own horror story.

“I had a banker laugh at me and tell me that no one reads books on Molokai,” said Waros, while looking out over a rainy downtown Kaunakakai from the homey confines of her Kalele Bookstore & Divine Expressions. “I just knew that wasn’t true.”

With brick-and-mortar bookstores as scarce as handwritten letters — and independent bookstores even rarer — Waros believed that if any place could buck the e-trend of an increasingly wired society, it would be Molokai, where life slows down and the old ways still matter to its 7,300 inhabitants.

So, despite the naysayers, she forged ahead with Kalele Bookstore. In Hawaiian, kalele can mean to “have faith” or to take “a leap of faith.” The name was a perfect fit.

“When I started my business plan, it was going to be a traditional bookstore,” she said, imagining wall-to-wall shelves bursting with history, fine literature, novels, children’s fare and, most especially, books about Hawaii. Then three months later, Borders went out of business.

If Borders couldn’t make it, what hope did a small bookstore on Molokai have?

Facing a major plot twist she didn’t see coming, Waros wondered how she could keep the integrity of a true bookstore but survive economically. She started thinking of how Molokai residents had such a special talent for telling the stories of the island and the Hawaiian culture, not only in “talking story” but in other forms of communication.

“The books represent our moolelo, our knowledge, our history,” said Waros. “Molokai also has so many wonderful artists who have pride in their art that helps tell the story of our island, too. The books represent our stories in one way, art in another. How better to share this place than to share the stories of this place? As beautiful as this land is, the beauty is in the place.”

And that’s how Kalele Bookstore was saved by Divine Expressions. The books are still there — lining much of a wall on the far side of the little store — but they share the space with an eclectic variety of art, a great deal of it created by Molokai artists. There are handcrafted koa rockers, elegant wind chimes of recycled glass, wood bowls as smooth as silk, jewelry, clothing and anything that Waros feels tells a story.

Her plan of a traditional inventory of books also changed to accommodate the wishes of her customers, both local residents and visitors. Instead of the usual best-sellers that can be found at most airports, Waros specializes in books about Hawaii, particularly Molokai and Kalaupapa. She keeps an eye out for books written in Hawaiian that are aimed at young readers.

To make sure her store includes the standard classics, Waros brought her personal — and well-worn — collection of hardcover titles, many from her childhood days, to the store. These books, which stuff an old wood-and-glass hutch that stands nearly 6 feet tall, are for lending to anyone who asks.

“When I was a child, books were my favorite toys,” she said, recalling her early years on Oahu of reading and dancing hula. “I love to instill that love of reading in a child. When I have a young schoolkid come in and ask to borrow ‘Robinson Crusoe,’ ‘Don Quixote’ or ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,’ I wish that banker who laughed at me could see that.”

To keep other books affordable, Waros set up a recycle bin in a red wagon she keeps outside her door where used hardcovers and paperbacks can be had for as little as 50 cents.

The final piece of her tailored-for-Molokai business: make the store a welcoming beacon for everyone, whether you want to buy anything or not.

“It was important to me that this become a gathering place for the local community and visitors rather than have a strictly economic focus,” she said. “This was never meant to be a gallery place or a formal place. There are so many times that someone will walk in the door with a question and the person they need is sitting right there. I wanted this store to be a conduit for that to happen.”

Which is why at any given time, you will find some kupuna gathered around a table talking story, playing ukulele or making lei, kids scouring the classics or a visitor asking for directions to Halawa Valley. (Waros passes out maps from the Molokai Visitors Bureau.) A coffee pot is usually percolating, there are snacks in the refrigerator and often a dog to greet you.

“It just feels like home,” said Glenn Davis, born and raised on Molokai, who was chosen as “Honorary Mayor of Kaunakakai” during a community festival a few years ago. “It has such a great ambience and Teri makes it that way. She’s so friendly with everyone.”

Her business exudes hospitality, a reflection of her nearly 20-year career in the hotel trade. She landed the manager’s position at The Lodge in Maunaloa, but later lost the job (the hotel closed) and pretty much everything else except her love for Molokai.

She’s all too familiar with the struggle to pay bills, and there are days when she wonders about the next chapter in the life of her cherished shop. Visitors to Molokai have never been huge in numbers. The island saw an average of 3,400 a month in 2015, according to state visitor statistics. Waros would like to see more of them, but not to the point of changing the island’s character.

“I really see Molokai as a place for kamaaina from other islands,” she said. “We do need more visitors, but Molokai has to stay Molokai. If you want high-rises and infrastructure, go to Maui. The second we do that, we lose who we are. Molokai is about giving people a chance to reconnect. Get away from your busy lives on Oahu or Maui and come here to recharge.”

With photographs of her grandparents above the front door, Waros hopes there’s enough interest in the various stories of Molokai to keep her leap of faith alive for years to come so she can write her own happy ending.

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Kalele Bookstore & Divine Expressions, 64 Ala Malama, Kaunakakai. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.to 6 p.m. Saturdays; 553-5112.