HONOLULU (KHON2) –No hairspray, fishing poles, and burgers, these are just some of the issues Garden Isle businesses are dealing with due to a recent barge shipment delay.
Young Brothers reported some of its crew was exposed to COVID-19 and had to postpone its shipment to Nawiliwili Harbor last week.
Hair Razors Salon in Lihue relies on the barge for their chemical hair products. The delays have forced them to think outside of the box.
“That’s where science comes to play,” said Terrence Dabis Waialeale, owner of Hair Razors Salon Kauai. “You see smoke coming out of our ears. Trying to figure out, how can I get this level one black hair to be a platinum blonde with what I have? So it’s just more math than I would like.”
When Hanapa’a Fishing Co.’s fishing poles didn’t arrive, they had to turn some customers away.
“We had some customers that were expecting some stuff in,” said Travis Koga, co-owner of Hanapa’a Fishing Co. “We just had to tell them all, we didn’t get our shipment. So the customers have to come back another time, which is unfortunate.”
It’s not just retail businesses feeling the impacts.
“Burger King had no burgers, Jack in the Box closed earlier because they had a big sign saying this is what we have, this is what we don’t have,” said Waialeale. “Then there’s Daylight Donuts, you know, they don’t have flour.”
Young Brothers operated a recovery sail to Nawailili Harbor over the weekend, allowing businesses to pick up their delayed orders.
All islands rely heavily on shipping by sea and with rising COVID-19 cases, the possibility of more delayed deliveries is causing concern.
“Making sure food necessities are there,” said Rep. Lynn DeCoite. “We’ve taken to the part of actually flying in some of the produce like milk. The kids here, the school meals, you know, those are going to be key issues.”
DeCoite says another option is having those much needed items flown in, instead. For now, businesses thank their customers for understanding as they continue to navigate through the pandemic.
Young Brothers says there’s no delays in shipping schedules this week.
