PO‘IPU — Kukui‘ula Village, just barely budding with a handful of stores officially open Friday, will be in full bloom by December, said Veronica Lovesy, marketing consultant for the development company. The 87,400-square-foot shopping center on the South Shore is
PO‘IPU — Kukui‘ula Village, just barely budding with a handful of stores officially open Friday, will be in full bloom by December, said Veronica Lovesy, marketing consultant for the development company.
The 87,400-square-foot shopping center on the South Shore is “reminiscent of a quaint sugarcane town,” said Kukui‘ula President Richard Holtzman at Friday’s sneak preview. “We are very excited about the grand-opening in December.”
Scott Hanft, owner of Scott Hanft Photography, one of the new galleries open this week, said he has been waiting 10 years to have his own storefront at the new mall.
“I’m almost overwhelmed,” he said Friday morning.
For years, Hanft worked out of a tent at different product fairs around the island and said having his own shop is like a dream come true.
“Starting an art business right now is nerve wracking,” he added. “But management has really helped make it possible to get me started; without their kokua, it would have never happened.”
Marjorie and Renato Desouza, owners of a women’s boutique called Palm Palm, said they were excited about the prospect of a new location. Formerly operating out of Coconut Marketplace on the Eastside, their new storefront is approximately three times larger and contains “everything a girl wants but doesn’t need,” Marjorie Desouza said at the store’s opening before having to excuse herself to attend to potential customers.
Dude Dogs, an authentic hot dog shop, won’t be open for business until Tuesday or Wednesday, said owner Dale Morris. Nevertheless, he said he’s crossing his fingers that hot dogs are “recession proof.”
Originally in the real estate industry, Morris decided it wasn’t the right time to pursue the business. Instead, he opted to check off one of the items on his “bucket list” by opening the “reasonably priced” hot dog stand with his wife, Dana. It’s a laid-back spot where people are invited and even encouraged to bring their doggie-pals to enjoy the grinds as well, Morris said.
Other shops now officially open for business include Bubba Burgers, Bungalow 9 (a high-end boutique with home decor, accessories and clothing), as well as three other art galleries: Gallerie 103, Gallerie+ and James Hoyle Gallery.
Though most of the village still remains empty, only about 15 spaces are without leases, Lovesy said, as 34 stores are already “on board” and slated to open by the end of the year.
When asked what the rental cost per square footage was, she said, “it depends on the size and location of the store.”
Additional enterprises expected to open at the mall in the coming months are Lappert’s Coffee and Ice Cream, Merriman’s Cafe, Josselin’s Tapas Bar and Grill and Sunglass Hut.
Kukui‘ula is a 1,010-acre master-planned luxury community in Po‘ipu.
The $55 million shopping center is just one of the project’s developments, along with 1,500 approved multi-million dollar lots and cottages, an 18-hole golf course and a clubhouse and spa.
In May, Hawai‘i-based A&B Properties Inc., in partnership with Arizona-based DMB Associates and Kukui‘ula Development Company, announced they would be collectively investing an estimated $165 million of capital over the next three years to complete the project’s primary recreational amenities, such as the clubhouse and golf course, as well as infrastructure serving its residential components, including roads and utilities.
Kukui‘ula Village is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
For more information visit www.kukuiula.com.
•Coco Zickos, business and environmental writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or czickos@kauaipubco.com.
