Shop tries to recover from theft

By Dan Nakaso
Advertiser Staff Writer

Wendy Schofield-Ching and Everett Ching own Native Winds Gift Gallery & Craft Supply in Kaimuki. As business owners, a burglary in November cost them a lot more than the $40,000 of jewelry that was stolen. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

By the time police arrived just a few minutes later, the most expensive turquoise, silver and gold Native American jewelry had been scooped from their shattered cases and removed forever from the store.

But the lingering costs from the November burglary in Kaimuki mean Native Winds won't be moving into a bigger, more accessible shop on the ground floor this year as the owners had hoped.

The break-in occurred on the night before Thanksgiving. Six months later, deep emotional and financial scars remain for the store's owners.

Native Winds was opened six years ago by a former attorney of Scotch-Irish-English-German descent and her paralegal husband who grew up thinking he was Chinese-Hawaiian and learned only through adoption papers that he was actually Korean-Mexican-Spanish.

Only after the break-in did Wendy Schofield-Ching, 49, and Everett Ching, 53, realize too late that they were under-insured for the $40,000 worth of stolen jewelry.

Most of it was being sold on consignment and wasn't covered. Their insurance company canceled their policy. And a new policy cost $1,000 more per year. They also had to rewire the store and install thousands of dollars worth of extra security measures.

Schofield-Ching estimates that she and her husband are still $7,000 in debt from the break-in.

"People think insurance covers everything," Schofield-Ching said. "The economics just knocked me out."

The Chings have a 13-year-old daughter and the family lives on the nearly $50,000 that Ching earns as a paralegal and by selling his pen-and-ink drawings.

Otherwise, all of the proceeds from the nearly $100,000 in sales that Native Winds generates annually goes back into the store.

"We're struggling tremendously to make ends meet," Schofield-Ching said. "The emotional part for me was how fast your life can change because of one person."

Schofield-Ching had been a commercial litigator from San Francisco whose only understanding of Native American culture came out of books.

In 1987 she visited Honolulu's Indian Center at its former site in Kalihi, left her card and said, "If you ever need a lawyer, give me a call."

The call came five years later to help the center readjust its organization. She learned first hand about Native American culture and the estimated 5,000 to 14,000 Native Americans living in Hawai'i.

And that's when Schofield-Ching got the idea to help others learn about Native American culture.

"I describe myself as a recovering attorney," Schofield-Ching said. "I was physically, mentally and spiritually bankrupt. ... My last good time as an attorney was representing Native Americans who live in Hawai'i pro bono."

In January 1997, she and Ching used $10,000 in savings and retirement funds to begin renovating and stocking an upstairs shop of just under 400 square feet on Koko Head Avenue.

"I knew nothing about retail," Schofield-Ching said. "Nothing."

She was interested in selling mostly books, but realized the store also needed to carry beads, jewelry and other Native American goods to bring in customers.

Schofield-Ching was stunned when the first order for thousands of dollars worth of silver, gemstone and turquoise jewelry arrived in a container smaller than a shoe box.

So they pumped another $10,000 worth of start-up cash into more jewelry and opened for business on March 1, 1997.

They brought in Native American artisans from the Mainland who demonstrated their craft, set up booths at Hawai'i pow-wows and brought dancers to the Honolulu Academy of Arts when it opened an exhibit on Southwest weaving.

Yvonne Wakata has relied on Native Winds to help teach Native American culture to her third-grade students at Wai'alae School.

"When I went to Wendy, I found out she had a whole treasury of knowledge," Wakata said. "I went there just to look around but she was so helpful. She provided information, guidance, support. She really believes in the philosophy of not only hands-on things, but learning the history and the meaning behind them."

Schofield-Ching has helped Wakata's students build dream catchers and brought pow-wow dancers in full regalia into her classroom. Wakata organized a class sleepover and Schofield-Ching demonstrated Native American tools.

"Even though her store is small, it has so many things, books, music, jewelry — and ideas," Wakata said.

Last year, Native Winds offered high-end Native American jewelry on display. In her enthusiasm, Schofield-Ching took the time to distinguish the most expensive jewelry to a young woman who seemed particularly interested in where they were located in the jewelry cases.

Then at 10 p.m., Native Winds' burglar alarm went off.

Ching believes it will take another year before Native Winds recovers.

"You take one step forward," he said, "and suddenly you're pushed 10 steps back."

Schofield-Ching hopes other small businesses read the fine print in their insurance policies and make sure they're covered for one-time, high-end items.

She's also much more aware of people who come in to shop.

"Looking back, I wished I had been listening to my own inner voice that was telling me that this person was suspicious, something's not right," Schofield-Ching said. "I was a very trusting individual. And we want this store to have a community feeling. But we just have to be more aware."