At first the family-owned eatery catered to early-morning construction crews who were working on Kamehameha Highway and housing projects in the growing community. But eventually the little diner that was barely visible from the street attracted customers from as far away as Wai'anae and Hawai'i Kai.

Some of its most loyal patrons were Kane'ohe postal workers, who visited the restaurant every work day for 30 and 40 years.

"Once we started we were devoted," said George Fujimoto, who said he ordered lunch every day from Junie's for "a good 30 years." Leaving the selection up to the cook, Fujimoto said he took whatever they gave him — either a sandwich or a plate lunch — paying about $4.

In the early days postal workers didn't get paid much, so shop owner June Alo gave them a break, he said, adding that six or seven postal employees took advantage of the special price.

"There came a time we had to remind them it was about time to raise their prices because they kept charging us the same," he said. "That's why we stuck by them all these years."

In the end, increasing competition and years of long, hard hours prompted its owner to sell.

A sign on the door says a new shop will open soon, serving Korean and okazu-ya food.

William and June Alo opened Junie's in 1964, when Kane'ohe was urbanizing.

The couple operated the diner until 1991 when their daughter, Suzanne Takimoto, took over.

Takimoto, 51, began working there when she was in the eighth grade. All three of her children also worked in the shop.

But none of them wanted to take over the business, which she said was hard work, especially since she also operated a catering service and lunch wagon called Ova Deah.

For two years Takimoto toyed with the idea of selling because she was getting tired from the long hours and couldn't compete with other restaurants because of the high cost.

"Although people cherish the idea of small restaurant and family style, it was getting very difficult to compete with everything around, expenses wise," she said.

There had been financial setbacks, too.

The 9/11 terrorist attacks hurt her catering business, with a Kane'ohe Bay tour company drastically cutting the number of lunches a day it needed. And Junie's struggled after Hurricane Iniki in 1992, when insurance rates went from $2,000 a year to $7,000, Takimoto said. Other expenses were on the rise, too, she said.

"I thought if I sold now it would be easier to do something else," said Takimoto, a self-proclaimed workaholic. "Where if I sold it in 10 years I'd be 60 and it would be harder for me to do something else."

Closing has been heart-wrenching because of the customers and all of the memories, she said. This is where her children learned to cook and where her second daughter met her fiancé, a man who had been coming to the coffee shop since he was 7 years old.

Former Gov. Ben Cayetano once made a campaign commercial in the shop; dozens of old photographs of Kane'ohe, celebrities, athletes and jazz figures lined the walls, Takimoto said.

Three generations of kumu hula Aloha Dalire's family have dined at the restaurant, as have such local celebrities as Melveen Leed, Mel Cabang, Kala'i Miller and Jan Brenner, she said.

But it's the family atmosphere that Takimoto will miss the most. Because the shop was so small, people were often forced to sit next to one another. Soon everyone would be talking, she said.

"It would bring people together," she said, adding that she is grateful for all her loyal customers. "I'm really thankful for the community supporting us."

Even after retiring from the post office, Nobuo Kariya said he continued to go to the shop for coffee five days a week, meeting friends to discuss world events.

Kariya said he enjoyed going to the diner every day for nearly 40 years and will miss it. Now he must find a new spot to meet with his friends.

If the new restaurant accepts us, we'll go there, Kariya said.

"If they don't serve coffee we'll go to Zippy's."