According to the Star Advertiser, Hilo Hattie will be downsizing its Ala Moana Store:
Local retailer Hilo Hattie, popular among tourists for its aloha shirts and Hawaii souvenirs, is closing its Ala Moana Center location on the makai side of the mall and moving to the mauka side, where it will focus more on local customers.
The existing 8,351-square-foot street-level Ala Moana store near Old Navy will close April 30. The company will reopen May 1 at a 1,920-square-foot prototype Hilo Hattie Kamaaina Collection outlet on the opposite end of the mall adjacent to Barnes & Noble Booksellers.
I guess the rent there was too high. I heard that Ala Moana has one of the highest rent per square foot in all of the Pacific for retail space. At least the Hilo Hattie’s here in Hilo, Hawaii has remained untouched. But what do I know, it’s not like I run the company or anything.