Rent-to-own News - Hawaii dealer shares Thanksgiving with community

Waipahu ColorTyme employees join treat locals to a community Thanksgiving feast.

Thanksgiving is a true community event for one Waipahu Hawaii ColorTyme dealer.

Even though his store was closed, most of Mark Shaw’s employees showed up at 10 a.m. sharp on Thanksgiving morning to continue the tradition he started five years ago when he first became the store’s manager.

The ColorTyme employees, as well as a number of Shaw’s motorcycling buddies, were on hand to serve a traditional Thanksgiving dinner to every person in the neighborhood who cared to stop and enjoy the home-cooked meal.

“I saw the elderly, the homeless and people without close families or friends going to the fast-food joints on Thanksgiving day, and that’s not right,” Shaw says. “The holidays are a time for giving, for sharing, and reaching out to others. Because the people in the neighborhood are part of our community, each year we welcome them to come and share turkey and all the trimmings with us.”

Shaw says all the food for the feast is prepared at home by ColorTyme employees and friends.   This year the turkeys were cooked overnight in an imu (the traditional Hawaiian cooking pit), “so the morning didn’t start quite so early for me and my family this year,” he laughs.

The Waipahu ColorTyme store on Moloalo Street is a fixture in the neighborhood. The store offers furniture, appliances and electronic products in a traditional retail environment, but with a twist:  ColorTyme customers can rent to own the merchandise as well as purchase it outright. 

“People often have an immediate need for things, like a new refrigerator to replace one that broke down,” Shaw says.  “But they don’t always have a lot of cash on hand for big-ticket items. Or they don’t have – or don’t want – the long-term commitment of using credit.  That’s why they like our rent-to-own plans – they can pay weekly or monthly for the things they need without any long-term obligation.”

On most Thanksgiving days, 40 to 50 people come by for ColorTyme’s noontime buffet on the sidewalk in front of the store.

"The word gets around, primarily through word-of-mouth, but I print up a few flyers to set out for folks, too. Each year we see a few familiar faces in line, and we’re always happy to welcome the new ones,” Shaw says.

mevans@rtohq.org