Beretania business owners lament loss
By Dan Nakaso
Advertiser Staff Writer
Customers often get lost trying to find the Izuo Brothers wholesale fishing supply business until the third generation of Izuos mention the famous car dealership on the other side of the street.
"We always say we're across from Schuman Carriage and 90 percent of the customers say, 'Oh, I know where that is,' " said Raylene Izuo. "They're a landmark on Beretania Street."
Yesterday's announcement that Schuman would end its business dynasty after more than a century came as a death in the family to the other longtime businesses up and down the busy Honolulu thoroughfare.
Schuman Carriage was always a looming reference point, but also a good neighbor and the main source for new cars, trucks and vans for many nearby business owners.
"Schuman Carriage has been there forever," Izuo said. "What a shame. We had been hearing rumors for months. I'm so sad to hear that the rumors are true."
Izuo's father bought at least five cars, mostly Cadillacs and Oldsmobile station wagons, at Schuman Carriage.
"He drove the Cadillacs and Mom used the station wagons to lug us kids around," Izuo said.
The news that Schuman was calling it quits after 111 years stunned Howard Nakamoto, whose father, Shigeichi, founded Beretania Florist 67 years ago and passed it on to Nakamoto and his wife, June.
Nakamoto, 66, stood in the doorway to his shop yesterday and stared down the street at Schuman.
"It's kind of shocking to hear that a big guy like that had to go out of business," Nakamoto said.
Over the years, Nakamoto bought Cadillacs, Buicks and GMC trucks from Schuman and earlier this year got a van.
"I like the salesman and the convenience," Nakamoto said.
While Nakamoto considered the fate of longtime family businesses along Beretania Street, wife June had more practical considerations.
"It's sad to see an old family business going out," she said. "But who's going to service our car?"
Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8085.
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1884 Gustav Adolph Schuman leaves Germany with his older brother, arriving in Honolulu at age 16. 1886 Schuman joins Hawaiian Carriage Co. as harness maker. 1889 The young Schuman starts his own carriage shop, G. Schuman Co., featuring a line of carriages, dump carts, farm wagons, saddles and whips. 1893 Schuman sells shop; organizes Schuman Carriage Co. 1903 The Pope-Tribune horseless carriage is introduced to Hawai'i by Schuman after a visit to the 1903 St. Louis World Expo. 1904 Schuman begins selling Tin Lizzies at Hawai'i's first automobile dealership. 1915 Schuman is called in to help troubled Honolulu Brewery. 1929 Schuman opens a showroom in a converted Central Union Church building, with stained-glass windows and high-domed ceiling. 1930 Gustav A. Schuman dies while visiting Germany; son Gustav W. "Scotty" Schuman takes over as president. 1949 Gustav E. "Dutch" Schuman, son of Scotty Schuman, joins company. (He becomes president in 1956.) 1961 Company headquarters at 1234 S. Beretania opens, showcasing Opels, Buicks and Cadillacs on a terrazzo floor behind sloping windows. Previous dealership was sold to make way for the State Capitol. 1964 Schuman Carriage has 200 employees 1968 General Motors names Schuman Carriage its top new- and used-car dealer 1982 Mark Oshio is named president of Schuman Carriage. Dutch Schuman maintains family control of the company as chairman of the board. 2000 Subaru names Schuman Carriage its top distributor in sales nationally, following a tripling of revenues over six years. 2003 Schuman Carriage sells five NAPA auto-parts stores and its parts-distribution business, NAPA Hawaiian Warehouse. 2004 Schuman Carriage explores sale of its assets; announces it will close its dealerships at the end of November.
History of Schuman Carriage Co.
