PO‘IPU — More jobs, a new look at the gateway to Po‘ipu and new additions to Kaua‘i’s retailing scene were just some of the reasons people were excited Tuesday evening at a sneak preview of the Kukui‘ula Shopping Village. More
PO‘IPU — More jobs, a new look at the gateway to Po‘ipu and new additions to Kaua‘i’s retailing scene were just some of the reasons people were excited Tuesday evening at a sneak preview of the Kukui‘ula Shopping Village.
More than 250 people, claimed to be one of the largest attendance at a Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce AfterHours program ever, crammed into a space soon to be occupied by artist James Hoyle as the Kukui‘ula Development Company and Joe’s on the Green hosted the business community’s first look at the new South Shore shopping center.
“We expected a lot of people, but this is beyond our expectations,” said Gini Kapali, the community relations officer at Kukui‘ula Development Co.
Randall Francisco, president of the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce, said the new shopping complex will generate some 250 new jobs for residents. The Kukui‘ula Shopping Village will be hosting a job fair to help fill its roster of workers sometime closer to its opening.
Kukui‘ula Development Co. President Dick Holtzman said the opening is planned for some time in the early summer, but a definite date has not been set.
“We’re proud and excited about the Kukui‘ula Shopping Village because it maintains a proper sense of place — the best of what we see on Kaua‘i,” Holtzman said. “Architects Hawai‘i and Unlimited Construction, the creative force behind this shopping center, have taken the extra step to produce this front door to the Kukui‘ula project.”
Robert Mayhew of Madison Marquette Retail Services said a soft opening in mid-summer is planned.
In addition to the new retailers, Kukui‘ula Shopping Village offers opportunities for business entrepreneurs, he added.
The leasing team anticipates that the Kukui‘ula Shopping Village will be a dominant shopping location by the fourth quarter of this year and will serve as a gateway to Po‘ipu.
One of the biggest additions to Kaua‘i will be Merriman’s Cafe/Merriman’s Kaua‘i featuring chef/owner Peter Merriman, said Holtzman.
Merriman is a three-time finalist in the James Beard Awards for Best Chef, Pacific Northwest and Hawai‘i, and Merriman’s Cafe will feature a Mediterranean menu that combines flavors from North Africa to Greece to Italy with products from Hawai‘i.
The restaurant will offer a more formal dining atmosphere with a panoramic view that encompasses the hills of Kalaheo and the point at Koloa Landing. Merriman’s Kaua‘i will feature fresh fish and locally grown and raised produce and meats.
Joining the audience, Eric Miura, one of two charter businesses, will be opening the Quiksilver shop that will offer a blend of Quiksilver and Roxy sportswear, accessories, surf boards, body boards and skateboards.
Unique to the Kukui‘ula location will be exclusive Quiksilver and Roxy Po‘ipu T-shirts.
Lappert’s Hawai‘i Coffee and Ice Cream is the second shop that has come in on the ground floor of Kukui‘ula Shopping Village.
Veronica Lovesy and Jennifer Heu spearheaded the Tuesday event that Francisco said was the first of two planned before the opening of the Village.
