Patti Verbanas

One might say Neil Kamimura was born to forge steel into knives. After all, his middle name “Teiji” is an homage to his great-grandfather Teiji Kamimura, who immigrated to Hawaii in the 1920s, apprenticed as a blacksmith at a plantation, and went on to start a successful company creating knives for plantation workers. One of Hawaii’s first Japanese business owners, the elder Kamimura became famous for his sugar cane knives, which he continued to create until he died at age 89 when his great-grandson was only nine.

Daisy May Hat Co. owner Gage Speas talks music, family, and the allure of a good hat. STORY BY PATTI VERBANAS Gage Speas is a successful businessman, a new father,…