TO JAPAN ... WITH ALOHA

All profits from the sale of this shirt go to relief efforts in Japan.

BJ Sabate is a young, akamai (hip) entrepreneur born and raised in the Aloha State. Like myself. We first met up when BJ manufactured and produced the first Barack Obama memorabilia … in 2007.

BJ, Barry and I all attended Punahou School in Honolulu, in separate decades, but we share much in common.

BJ owns a boutique called Butigroove, located across from the Ala Moana Center, Hawaii’s biggest mall and one of the nation’s first and largest. BJ's store’s was one of the first to offer apparel targeting the “local” 18-34 demographic. Or anyone who grooved on a good, uh, booty. Cool creations for sand, surf and sun. BJ’s designs quickly appeared, worn on the beach, in clubs and campuses, with slightly naughty messages, many in Pidgin, the first language for many of us here. Including yours truly, bra.

Butigroove’ designer Kyle Shimabukuro came up with the first pro-Obama T-shirts even before the President announced his official candidacy. Just a few variations. They were the main item on display in the red-white-and-blue stores windows.

BJ and I hooked up, he made some promo shirts for my book, OBAMALAND: Who Is Barack Obama? The first copies went on sale at his --- and --- street store. The book became Hawaii’s #1 best-selling non-fiction book in 2009. It sold an impressive 14,000 copies in the state and was well received. (Copies still might be available at Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/5t22ypc.)

Inside the book there’s a photo of BJ and two beautiful local wahine in front of the store. After the photo was taken the store was fire bombed. The identity of the arsonists and their political affiliation, if any, remains unknown. BJ re-built the store and continues to create and market good fun products. Many of his customers are visitors from Japan.

Today, March 13, 2011, he came up with a win-win new design: A simple “ALOHA” … with the red Rising Sun replacing the “O” (above).

To get this info online wikiwiki (very fast) I am advising all my media friends of this cool was to get $15 to those suffering in Japan as you read this. I will personally vouch for BJ & Crew being on the up-and-up, reliable and totally into excellent fulfillment and shipping. It’s all here, posted hours ago at:http://www.butigroove.com/blog/ … along with all kine ultra-akamai local Hawaii stuff.

Anything you can do to spread the word is a good thing. As one who has covered tsunami since the 1950s, when they were known as “tidal waves,” I can tell you that they are impressive at any level (no pun intended).

Hilo Harbor waterfront store, April 1, 1946.

I urge any pro-active radio stations (or TV/print/online media) contact BJ Sabate at bj@butigroove.com. He is very promo conscious. And if this isn’t a good humanitarian cause and a cool addition to your wardrobe, I dunno what is.

Me ke aloha pumehana ... and mahalo ... from Hawaii, which was last hit with The Really Big One on April Fool's Day 1946. That wave destroyed the ocean side of sleepy Hilo town. Everything on that side of the street was wiped out, disappeard to this day.

Many victims that fateful day were Japanese-Americans, which comprised a majority of the Territory's population. Barry Obama, BJ and I grew up with many nisei friends. Perhaps the most famous is Hawaii's first favorite son, Senator Daniel K. Inouye.

Domo arigato and sayonara from Kaneohe, where we watch CNN in shock and disbelief, our prayer going out to our Japanese ohana.