Point 16

Welcome to the Rice Street small businesses, the 16th point on our tour. If you’d look towards the building nearest you, this area was first the location of the Hale Nani estate. It was built in the early 19th century and inhabited by the Rice family. Not only was it once deemed the “most elegant residence on Kaua’i,” it was famous for its hospitality, even hosting people like Queen Lili’uokalani and U.S. Congressmen.

Did you know, the ice cream cone may have been invented in Hale Nani? Here’s local historian, Pat Griffin on the matter:

An endearing Lihue legend is that the ice cream cone was invented right here at the Rice estate, when the family’s baker fashioned Japanese style senbei cookies into an edible ice cream cornucopia. A quick web search suggests otherwise, but we like to believe it’s true, especially here in Hawaii.

Another bit of Hale Nani history is that starting between July 1942 and January 1944 after Pearl Harbor was bombed, it briefly served as the Women’s Air Raid Defense plotting station. That was until Anna Wilcox sold the estate to local businessmen in October 1946, which is how we got to where we are today.

The corner building directly in front of you was once Daniel Lee’s Drive-In, one of the first businesses to open in the tract. To the right was Gony’s House of Beauty, and at the far end was Sharon Sue’s Dress Shop.

Many small businesses came and went over the years. Daniel Lee’s became Kauai Savings and Loan, then Prosser Realty. Today, Rainbeau Jo’s is anticipated to move in by the summer of 2021. The lot where Gony’s once was has seen many different businesses, such as Sears and Hawaii Thrift and Loan. Lihue Missionary Church now takes up that space, as well as where Sharon Sue’s used to be. These are just a few of the establishments that have been located here on Rice Street. They will continue to grow and change over the years along with Lihue town, just as they always have.

Thank you for listening to this stop on the Lihue Loop Audio Tour. This is Lauryn Hashimoto from the Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School Advanced Media Productions class.