Small Business Owners Plead To GovernorMerchants Hope Business Is Picking UpUPDATED: 5:14 p.m. HST September 22, 2001 HONOLULU -- Dozens of small business owners met Saturday with Gov. Ben Cayetano to ask what can be done to prevent Hawaii from sliding into recession as a result of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
Small businesses have not been immune from the drastic slowdown to hit the economy since the Sept. 11 tragedy, which has left the visitor industry reeling.
"We talked about things like deferring payment of the general excise tax ... working with banks so that they can get some financing and loans to get through the period, or if they run into trouble with current loans, working with the banks to get them some flexibility," Cayetano said.
Many parking spaces at Ward Warehouse were uncharacteristically empty Saturday morning, but merchants said that business is slowly starting to pick up.
"They are starting to come in, they are looking, they are being a little more particular so customer service comes in handy," Stephanie Ah Yat of Walking in Paradise said. "But a lot of the tourists aren't here. It's the local customers keeping us going."
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Small businesses have not been immune from the drastic slowdown to hit the economy since the Sept. 11 tragedy, which has left the visitor industry reeling.
"We talked about things like deferring payment of the general excise tax ... working with banks so that they can get some financing and loans to get through the period, or if they run into trouble with current loans, working with the banks to get them some flexibility," Cayetano said.
Many parking spaces at Ward Warehouse were uncharacteristically empty Saturday morning, but merchants said that business is slowly starting to pick up.
"They are starting to come in, they are looking, they are being a little more particular so customer service comes in handy," Stephanie Ah Yat of Walking in Paradise said. "But a lot of the tourists aren't here. It's the local customers keeping us going."







