History of Haleiwa Main Street
DBA North Shore Chamber of Commerce

The Haleiwa Main Street (HMS) DBA North Shore Chamber of Commerce (NSCCC) was started in January 1985 by a group of business people. The Haleiwa-Waialua Business and Professional Association, as it was called, had a broad mission "to enhance the betterment of the North Shore...". In 1988 the name changed again to North Shore Business Association, then a year later to the Haleiwa Main Street Business Association to implement the main street program.

Haleiwa's designation as a Special District on May 1, 1984 was intended to perpetuate and enhance the rural character of the existing community by ensuring that all new development be compatible in design. The creation of the Haleiwa Main Street Program in 1989 was closely linked with the Special District and made it possible for the organization to be eligible for funding through the State Historic Preservation Dept. which administered the Main Street Program. Beginning in approximately 1990 funding began for the program.

In January 1990, the articles of incorporation were amended to change the purpose to "...to engage in activities including, but not limited to, promotion, preservation and restoration of the culture, history and architecture of Haleiwa, Hawaii; reduction of community deterioration and urban decay; elimination of the physical, economic and social causes in community deterioration; facilitation of low-cost financial assistance and advice within the area; presentation, development and beautification of Haleiwa by planting trees and vegetation in public areas; assisting municipal or private sectors in keeping Haleiwa clean and functional by planned growth and development." In August of 1990, the name was changed simply to Haleiwa Main Street. Funding lapsed in 1995 and the organization then continued on as an all-volunteer effort until 2004.  

In response to September 11th, there were community-wide meetings held to deal with the economic downturn. One of the results of this was that there was much discussion that Haleiwa Main Street did not represent the entire North Shore business community, but just Haleiwa Town. This was the perception, although businesses from the entire North Shore belonged to the organization. So in July 2002 the DBA name was changed to North Shore Community Chamber of Commerce, since the organization had always functioned as the de facto Chamber for the area. The board of directors also felt that it would bring additional resources to the organization to affiliate with the state Chamber. The name was then changed to simply "North Shore Chamber of Commerce."

The updated mission statement is very similar to the one in place prior to the DBA name change except that the service area was expanded officially to the North Shore:

"We exist to promote, maintain, and encourage the historic, cultural, civic and economic welfare of the North Shore district through research, education, advocacy, and other related activities."