For nearly a century, a small corner store has welcomed generations of Kailua families and beachgoers.
Just steps from Kailua Beach, Kalapawai Market has been part of everyday life since 1932. In its earliest years it was a modest neighborhood store—a place to pick up groceries, a cold drink, or necessities on the way to the beach.
Among the people who helped shape the market’s early history were members of the Wong family. Richard and Elsie Wong became familiar faces to generations of Kailua residents. Local family accounts also credit James K. Trask Sr. with helping L. C. Wong and Richard Wong obtain the original lease in the 1930s. That lease connection deserves further verification in land and family records, and we welcome additional recollections.
The familiar bright-green landmark came later. After Don Dymond took over the market in 1992, the family refreshed the old plantation-style building and transformed it into the bustling gathering place people know today. Under the Dymond family, it has remained a neighborhood institution.
Nearly a century after its founding, the little market at Kailua Beach is more than a place to shop. It’s where generations of local history meet over coffee, conversation, and a trip to the ocean.
Sources: Kalapawai Market; Honolulu Star-Bulletin (2006); Hawaii Business (2021).