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The world operated a lot differently when Battery Bill’s first opened its doors in 2002. The store was stocked with batteries for cordless phones and digital cameras, which, for the most part, are not frequently requested in today’s day and age. But, as technology evolved, so did Battery Bill’s, which is why it’s remained Hawaii’s go-to battery store for the last 20 years.

“Back then, everybody had a cordless phone,” recalls owner Bill, aka the famous “Battery Bill,” who’s been in the battery biz since the ’80s. “From there, everybody started getting a cellphone, then everybody needed phone batteries. The phone changed all of that because everything became the phone. We became a diminishing market.”

Rather than letting himself feel discouraged by the changing times, Bill simply switched gears and took note of what his customers were looking for instead. In fact, that’s the foundation of his business as a whole: always listen to the customer.

“If people tell you 10 times that they want something, then there must be a need for it, so we go out and look for it,” he shares. “Everything that we carry is because a customer said they wanted it.”

Today, bestsellers include solar generators, which are portable battery power packs that use a solar panel to recharge it. Benefits for this type of battery are boundless, and customers can use it for their camping trips, at the beach or in the event of a power outage.

“If the power goes out, you can keep your refrigerator running, you can keep your medical machines running and even your fish tanks,” says Bill.

Automotive batteries are also popular and, in recent years, have become lighter than before and last twice as long.

“Typically, as soon as you carry a car battery, it weighs you down,” explains Bill. “The new batteries are lithium, and I did a promo where I threw a battery to a girl and she caught it like it was nothing.”

What is Portable Power?

On top of the latest and greatest specialty items offered at Battery Bill’s, the store also sells your everyday needs like AA and AAA batteries and button batteries for key fobs, thermometer, remote controls, watches and more.

“People come to us for all the odd stuff and hardly anyone knows that we also carry the regular stuff. To me, I believe there’s only one place to buy a battery — and that’s at Battery Bill’s.”

Besides the fact that you can find nearly every battery under the sun there, customers can also expect to be welcomed by employees who are more than happy to offer their expertise. Its five-star rating on leading review websites serve as evidence of the company’s commitment to ensuring customers have an optimal experience. Commonly used words reviewers have used to describe their experience include “friendly,” “helpful,” “impressive” and “reasonably priced.”

On a personal note, Bill, who was born and raised in Hawaii, strongly believes in the “golden rule” (do unto others as you would have them do unto you) and he, along with his staff of 14, bring that sentiment to life at his stores every single day.

“I think people should buy from whoever they want to buy from — whoever gives them the best service — and I want to do everything I can to be that person,” says Bill.

“I enjoy going to work,” he adds. “I enjoy doing the work and I enjoy the people. They come to us because they have a problem — like a dead battery — and something is wrong and we’re always happy to help however we can.”

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