Durston had to retool in the aftermath, finding a niche in flowering plants sold at big-box outlets like Eagle Hardware and Home Depot. While mainland discount stores have wreaked havoc on smaller local businesses in recent years, they accounted for a 20 percent increase in business at Leilani last year. Clients also include churches, flower shops, grocery stores, hotels and folks who wander in on weekends hoping to save a few bucks on a hanging basket or coleus bush. But it's a tricky enterprise. Flowers are easy to grow but hard to sell, Durston said.
Timing is everything.
And if a bloom is blemished, it's worthless. Another problem has been steadily rising shipping costs in Hawaii. Both Matson Navigation Co. and CSX Lines, Hawaii's primary lifelines to the West Coast, recently announced new fuel surcharge hikes on top of recent rate increases. The climbing costs hurt, Durston said, because he brings in 50 percent of his seedlings from Florida and California. It trickles down.