A Closer Look: Matsumoto's Shave Ice
A glance in at Mamoru Matsumoto's world famous shave ice store, and his long struggle to create one of the most visited spots on O'ahu.
Mamoru Matsumoto and his older brother ventured to Hawaii to seek out work to help support their family back in Japan, His brother became very ill and returned to Japan, while Mamoru continued to work on plantations, the railroad, and eventually became a salesman for the Sakai Store, which is currently known as the Haleiwa IGA. In order to expand his knowledge, he attended night school to learn English and Math. Mamoru and his wife had always dreamed of opening their own business.
Mr. Kazuo Tanaka gave them the opportunity to open their own grocery store, M. Matsumoto Store Inc. in Haleiwa, Hawaii. At first, Mamoru peddled his wares on a bicycle, until he was able to afford a panel truck. He went from camp to camp, taking orders and delivering the goods, while Helen manned the store and did some sewing.
Mamoru Matsumoto and his older brother ventured to Hawaii to seek out work to help support their family back in Japan, His brother became very ill and returned to Japan, while Mamoru continued to work on plantations, the railroad, and eventually became a salesman for the Sakai Store, which is currently known as the Haleiwa IGA. In order to expand his knowledge, he attended night school to learn English and Math. Mamoru and his wife had always dreamed of opening their own business.
Mr. Kazuo Tanaka gave them the opportunity to open their own grocery store, M. Matsumoto Store Inc. in Haleiwa, Hawaii. At first, Mamoru peddled his wares on a bicycle, until he was able to afford a panel truck. He went from camp to camp, taking orders and delivering the goods, while Helen manned the store and did some sewing.
With the birth of their three children, Glenn, Janice and Stanley, they needed to expand their business. With the perfect location along Oahu's beautiful North Shore, a decision was made to commence operating a shave ice stand in the midst of the grocery business. The carloads of racing enthusiasts and the waves of surfers and hippies in the '60s brought people from across the globe to this quaint store to purchase the shave ice, or "snow cone" cascading with their homemade syrup. Stanley and his wife, Noriko, successfully converted the groceries to T-shirts, souvenirs, and snacks, and he eventually became the proprietor while his parents semi-retired and later passed away.
Today, on a warm, sunny day, the store produces 1,000 shave ice. Half of the customers are tourists. Many people from around the world have visited the store, so while your at the Reef Pro in Haleiwa, stop in at Matsumoto's for a shave ice!
Today, on a warm, sunny day, the store produces 1,000 shave ice. Half of the customers are tourists. Many people from around the world have visited the store, so while your at the Reef Pro in Haleiwa, stop in at Matsumoto's for a shave ice!
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