www.usatoday.com/money/economy/construction/2008-10-16- -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 10/16/2008
Last Visited: 10/17/2008
In Honolulu, a tourism slump and higher shipping costs are hurting William Donohoe, owner of The Shipping Shack package-delivery store.
Sales from walk-in customers have fallen 45% since last October.
Donohoe is cutting costs everywhere, including saving thousands on monthly energy bills by driving an electric car and using ceiling fans instead of an air conditioner.
If financing flowed more freely, Donohoe would launch a new store in world-famous Waikiki Beach.
Instead, he plans to open a new Shipping Shack elsewhere in a partnership with friends.
Seeking new markets, Donohoe is shipping more U.S. Navy goods, motorcycles from dealerships and household furnishings.
If the downturn deepens, his business strategies will save him, he says.
"It's survival — I'm trying everything I possibly I can," Donohoe says.