Police are asking for the public's help in locating two men who used a handgun to rob a Mo'ili'ili liquor store last week.

On Wednesday, two men entered the Goodrich Liquor Store at 2828 South King St. at about 8:55 p.m. One man had his face covered with a T-shirt and the other with a bandanna, said Sgt. Kim Capllonch of the CrimeStoppers program.

One of the men showed a black pistol and demanded money. The store owner complied and the men fled.

Both men are described as in their 20s, about 5 feet 8 and 220 pounds. One wore a white T-shirt and had a similar shirt wrapped around his face. The other wore a striped polo shirt and had a bandanna over his face. Capllonch said the descriptions are similar to those of two men who robbed the same store six months ago.

Capllonch said neighborhood mom-and-pop stores have become easy targets for robbers.

"Usually these mom-and-pop stores are run by elderly couples. They've had these stores for 20 to 25 years and these young kids are going in there, literally traumatizing these owners," she said. "You'll see these bigger stores coming in because these people don't want to deal with being robbed. ... They're just barely making it as it is."

She said the Goodrich Liquor Store owner did the right thing by complying with the robbers' demands. "You don't want this to escalate to where someone is going to get injured," Capllonch said. "So just follow the directions, let them do what they need to do. The good thing is she does have surveillance in her store so we are able to capture images of the suspects."

Anyone with information should contact CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cell phone.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.