Ooka Supermarket was one of the state's most successful groceries, and its loyal clientele and competitive pricing helped the store survive alongside retail giants such as Costco, Safeway and Foodland. But family members decided their interests lie elsewhere, and two years ago they announced they had sold the 1.3-acre property to the nonprofit Community Clinic of Maui and would be developing a 61-unit affordable rental project for senior citizens on adjacent land that had been used for the store's overflow parking.

Safeway plans to fill the grocery gap in Wailuku, where several thousand homes have been built or are planned on former agricultural land on either side of town. "We absolutely think Wailuku is a great market for us and it has seen a lot of growth," said Jennifer Webber, director of public affairs for Safeway's Northern California Division, which includes Hawai'i.

Webber would not disclose where the new Wailuku Safeway would be located or when construction would start. Safeway has Maui stores in Kihei, Kahului and Lahaina.

In the meantime, consumers can choose between Sack N Save in the Wailuku Industrial Area near Waiehu, or Foodland, Star Market and Safeway in Kahului — each only a five- to 10-minute drive away. Still, for many it just won't be the same as shopping at "Ooka's."

Sally Gomes, right, of Wailuku Heights shopped Tuesday at Ooka Supermarket with granddaughter Sallyann Gomes and 3-year-old great-granddaughter Liana "Kaêui" Freitas. She shops at the store almost every day and likes to buy vegetables and prepared foods. Christie Wilson • The Honolulu Advertiser

Gomes said she will probably go to Takamiya Market, a convenience store several blocks away in Wailuku's Happy Valley, for chicken katsu and other prepared foods but isn't sure where she'll get her groceries. "I'm too old to be going down to Kahului."

The closing of Ooka will be a second blow in recent months to fans of island-style markets. A fire in March at the Kahului Shopping Center destroyed Central Maui's other landmark grocery, Ah Fook's Supermarket, which had been in business since 1917.

Statewide there are about a dozen independent supermarkets, not including Hawai'i's numerous smaller food stores and minimarts.

"We hate to see this happen but that's life. With Ah Fook's burning down and now this, it fits the scenario (for independent grocers) of consolidation, mergers, sellouts, bankruptcies or just closing down," said Dick Botti, president of the Hawai'i Food Industry Association. "Ten to 15 years ago Ooka was one of the top stores in the state in terms of sales. It had all the right techniques."

Botti said it's not unusual for longtime businesses to close as younger generations focus on other priorities, such their own families. "With the (founders) the business came first and you raised your children in a playpen in the store," he said.

"And with financial security built by prior generations, they amass enough assets that, in Ooka's case, they may be better off being a landlord than ordering groceries," Botti said, especially as independent stores lose their aging customer base and lack the financial flexibility of larger chains to adapt to market changes.

Ooka outlasted two other family-owned supermarkets: Azeka Market in Kihei and Nagasako Supermarket in Lahaina, which followed similar trajectories.

Bill Azeka opened his store in 1950 and during Kihei's boom in the 1970s and '80s, expanded to a full-scale supermarket and developed the Azeka Place and Azeka Place II shopping centers. The subsequent recession forced Azeka to close the supermarket in 1994 and downsize to a snack bar and meat counter that continues to sell his famous "Azeka short ribs." The family sold the two shopping centers in 1996.

Nagasako Supermarket also downsized, to a "general store" and okazuya, in 1997 after giving up the fight against Foodland and Safeway.

There is a glimmer that Ah Fook's Supermarket could rise from the ashes, and owner Raymond Hew said this week he's working to overcome obstacles to reopen, perhaps at another location. "There's always hope," he said.

The 36,000-square-foot Ooka Supermarket boasted certified Angus beef, fresh vegetables and attractive prices on canned goods, rice and paper products, but it was also a popular place to go for poke and fresh-caught fish, plate lunches and musubi, potted and cut flowers and lei, pies, mochi and cakes, and more exotic fare such as pig's blood and chicken feet.

And in the tradition of old-time stores, Ooka sold dry goods including the latest toys from Japan, steamer pots, futons, garden boots, and University of Hawai'i logo wear.

"This is a fascinating slice of Island life," said Austus Mosley of Kihei, who stops by when he's in Wailuku "to check it out."

"We always said it ought to be listed in all the tour guide books, and now it's an institution that's going down."

Paul Gima, 65, regularly drives the 25 miles from Lahaina to shop at Ooka Supermarket because of the prices on canned goods. "It's too bad they're going to close," said Gima, who was picking up poke, dried akule and a case of Bud Light.

Ooka began as a grocery and fishing supply store in Kahului in 1941 and moved to its present location in 1958. It is run by Byron Ooka, grandson of the founders. He said even though the decision to close the store was made well in advance, he, too, is coming to grips with the fact that Ooka Supermarket will be no more.

The supermarket already has been gearing down by cutting evening hours, not restocking some of its shelves, and allowing shopping carts to get rusty. Some workers have left to find new jobs, although many are sticking it out until the end.

"We're really sad. We have tears sometimes," said customer service representative Vhims Mejia, 35, who has worked at the store for 13 years. "We're like a family, but that's life. You have to face it and move on."

Fortunately for Mejia and other soon-to-be-unemployed Ooka workers, jobs are plentiful on Maui. Mejia said she'll probably stay home for a couple months before finding work at a hotel.

Assistant manager Sabino Aglupos, 61, has been at Ooka since 1983. "There are a lot of emotions, especially for our customers in Wailuku," he said. "It's like a family store, and the prices are reasonable."

Aglupos said it's too early for him to retire but he's not worried about finding another job.