Interviews featuring:
Jeff Borja (Owner), Jenn Neves (Retail Operations Manager), Craig Matthews (advisor for the Liguan Ukulele Club), Sirena Laguana (Hafa Adai Ukulele club member), Dolores Santos (Hafa Adai Ukulele club member) and Ryan Imamura (Hafa Adai ukulele club member). Length – 8:34

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Last weekend, the wife and I were enjoying all the performances at JB’s 2nd B-day bash! But, before I continue, i have to confess…I didn’t take any MPEGs of the event because as we all know Don is on vacation. Well, also on vacation is our only digital camera with a functioning MPEG mode. Yeah, mine has one, but the built-in microphone’s been broken for a couple years now, so I had to make do.

I did, though, take some audio interviews through my super-low budget iConnect bottom-of-the-line push-to-talk phone. Finally! It’s good for something! The wife and I were in attendance to show our support to Jeff and Miss Jenn for their 2nd Birthday Bash at the Agana Shopping Center, which was very cool.

From beginning to end, it was a fantastic time. Ronnie, of the “Rick and Ronnie Morning Show” from Hit Radio 100 was on site emceeing the event. The Ukulele hut was packed throughout the night and the center court was filled with eager parents and onlookers waiting for a glimpse of the various ukulele clubs that were on hand to perform.

The uke clubs performing were Astumbo Middle School, the new Liguan school uke club and of course JB’s uke club to name a few. Not to mention the crazy sales that JB had over the weekend…over 40% off some of the mid-range ukes, free soft-carrying cases, etc. They even had giveaways and raffled off premium uke strings, a Jake Shimabakuro CD, a Shiro’s Head DVD, and a total of not one, not two, BUT 3 UKULELES! None of which I won. But, they do know how to do it up, man!

And even with the cool live performances and the awesome giveaways, what was most impressive were the kids. We were genuinely surprised to see the amount of youth that have taken to the ukulele as an outlet for creativity, growth and inspiration. JB and Miss Jen have taken small business to a whole new level through the time and devotion that they’ve shown to the youth of Guam. I think that that more businesses and organizations on island both big and small can learn a lot from the business model that JB and Miss Jen have stuck with since day one of opening the Ukulele Hut.

Not only have they passed the two-year business jinx, maintained their fiscal responsibilities, and have become a staple in local music, but they’ve also touched lives along the way and inspired the youth and people of all ages with their model of giving back and community first. How many businesses/organizations do you know that can say that?

p.s. JB told me a story about the super-talented Ryan Imamura. This kid – no – this prodigy came into the shop one day and was salivating over the ukes on the display wall with wide-eyes. An eighth grader at St. Anthony’s, Ryan and JB formed a connection through the ukulele and it wasn’t long until JB realized the boat-load of talent that Ryan had on the uke. (No kidding…I’ve seen it and heard him myself – this guy is crazy nuts on the uke!) Well, JB took took it upon himself to help Ryan search for a sponsor in efforts of getting Ryan his own uke.

To make a long story short, with the help of JB, they landed a sponsorship with the world-famous G-String Ukulele company, the official sponsor of Hawaii’s very own Kapena! (Baby Blue, Nobody’s Child, Reggae Train, etc.) Not only did the G-String company give Ryan a uke of his own, they CUSTOM-MADE it for him to his own specs! After his unbelievable performance at JB’s Birthday Bash, Ryan was approached by younger kids that were asking him to autograph their ukulele. From their own wide-eyes, I can tell that these kids were touched and inspired by not only his talent, but also his kindness and generosity – reminiscent of the day he met the owner of a uke shop.

(For more info, check out JB’s Ukulele Hut’s MySpace Page here: JB’s Ukulele Hut on MySpace)