Malama Market to Reopen March 18

Company officials have announced that Malama Market in the Pahoa MarketPlace is scheduled to reopen on Wednesday, March 18 following a three month closure as the June 27 lava flow approached the area.

“We are so grateful to be able to reopen Malama Market Pahoa and serve the community again,” said Jenai S. Wall, Chairman and CEO of the Sullivan Family of Companies. “And we are working with our partners Aloha Petroleum to reopen Malama Gas N Go on the same day.”

Wall continued, “Our employees are eager to return to the store and welcome back their loyal customers. We want to thank the Hawai’i County Civil Defense team for their support and guidance over the last several months. We also extend our sincere gratitude to the Pahoa community for their patience during our closing, and hope our new store will make them pleased and proud.”

Malama Market closed its doors on Dec. 18 as the June 27 lava flow threatened the area. Store officials say that the 10,000 square foot facility is in the process of being restored. The refurbishing of equipment, renovation of fixtures, and process of moving items back has begun.

“We would like to acknowledge the merchants that did an awesome job with being proactive as best as possible when there was a threat and did an extraordinary job coming back,” said Hawai’i County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira. “It’s all the vendors and merchants in the area that were faced with some very difficult decisions on when to pull out and then when to come back. From the very get go they were all very committed to returning, providing services and access to their goods and also to restore some normalcy and provide employment in the community.”

With more than 70 employees returning, the grocery store will be upgraded and reset. Customer can also expect to see new merchandise when the doors open.

Plans are set to reopen the store at 10 a.m. on March 18 after an employee rally and store blessing.