22-year-old business reopens after devastating fire with help from Hilo Elks Lodge

After a devastating fire ripped through two downtown commercial buildings in Hilo during the early morning of Nov. 30, massage therapists Olena Adams, Doris P. Saxer and Denise Cervine were unsure if they could start over.

Olena’s Massage Center was among the businesses destroyed by the fire at the intersection of Kinoʻole and Haili streets.

“We spent 22 years all together in that building, creating an intentional place of healing,” Saxer said. “After the fire, we were at a loss for what to do and just spent time salvaging what we could. There were suggestions for us to take clients in our homes, but it did not feel right to separate after so many years together.”

Fortunately, they did not have to. Commercial space just down the road from the burned buildings would become their new home — with some help from the Hilo Elks Lodge.

Before the fire in November, Dr. Daniel Young of the Young Chiropractic Center retired unexpectedly, leaving the space next to the lodge empty for the first time in 25 years.

Getting approval for a new lessee and repairs at the space at 150A Kinoʻole St. was expected to take at least three to four months. But the destruction of local businesses within a block of the lodge prompted Hilo Elks, which owns the space, to expedite the repairs.

“There was a lot of work we had to do, but after the fire hit, we all looked at each other in the middle of a meeting and decided to expedite the work and help one of these businesses if we could,” Hilo Elks trustee John Regan said. “There were a lot of things that had to be tweaked, but it took five of us volunteering our time to get the space cleaned and ready.”

Before work began, Hilo Elks members quickly voted to accept highly respected Olena’s Massage Center as the new tenant. After that, Elks trustees Rusty Calhoon and Richard Gary Davis joined Regan in the two-week project of cleaning and painting the space.

“When the Hilo Elks came to offer this space to us, we were in disbelief, but so grateful for the opportunity,” Adams said. “We checked out the space and knew it was something that would work for us. We didn’t realize how quickly they would be able to get all the work done for us.”

Only one month after the fire, Olena’s Massage Center was able to reopen on Jan. 3. It was joyous for Saxer, Adams and Cervine, who along with the late Kim LeCates all worked together since Olena’s opened in 2004. Over the two decades they fostered good relationships with longtime clients as well as other businesses and organizations located around them in Hilo.

“We felt good about this space because it was used for healing before, just a slightly different kind of healing with Dr. Young,” Saxer said. “There was so much positive energy already here, then the volunteers with the Elks made it feel even better. It has been an unbelievable blessing compared to where we were about two months ago.”

While they needed some new furniture, Saxer, Adams and Cervine were able to bring some of the decor they have collected over the years, including a photograph of the four of them from years ago.

“It started with the four of us, and we plan to keep it that way for as long as we can,” Adams said. “We are just so happy and so grateful to be able to do what we love and help the community again.”

Olena’s Massage Center offers several varieties of massage such as hot stone, myofascial, deep tissue, lymphatic drainage, neuromuscular and reflexology. They are open at 150A Kinoʻole St. in Hilo from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with other times available by appointment only. Walk-ins are welcome.

The Hilo Elks Lodge is located next door to Olena’s and is part of a national network of nearly 2,000 Elks lodges. While the organization has been in Hilo for decades, the Board of Trustees and members have been working on changing how they operate to reach more people with its programs.

Traditionally, Elks Lodges raise money for community-minded programs and scholarships that often benefit veterans, special needs children, athletic teams, physical and occupational therapy programs and patriotic programs.

Recently, the Hilo Elks Lodge received a grant to serve free breakfast to veterans at the lodge every Sunday morning.

“We really want to let people know about this, because it is free for veterans and is only $5 for nonmembers,” Regan said. “We have the capacity to serve more people and want to become more of a gathering place. It is part of our mission, and we hope to learn more about what we can do to make downtown Hilo a more positive place for residents to get together.”

The most popular program at the Hilo Elks Lodge is a weekly line dancing class that takes place upstairs from 7 to 10 p.m. every Friday. Members can participate for free, and nonmembers can pay $5 to join.

“Depending on the week, we can get 100 people up here,” Davis said. “We have a mix of young and old, and it has been great to foster that social space.”

The Hilo Elks Lodge hosts other dance classes, including tango, salsa, and swing, throughout the week. They also sponsor the annual World of Magic show that features young performers and entertainers at the Hilo Palace Theater every year.

Visit the Hilo Elks Lodge website for more information about its programs and membership.