Editorial
New Macy's chain can still be Liberty House

Aloha, Macy's! E komo mai!

The rumors are now official. Federated Department Stores has bought Liberty House, which will be operated as part of the Macy's West division.

Is it the end of the era? Not quite. The venerable kama'aina store has been under Mainland ownership for years, so that won't be much different. From the shopper's standpoint, the transition probably will be seamless. Macy's and Liberty House offer comparable merchandise already.

In some ways, it's just another change in the 152-year history of the store. Begun in 1849 as H. Hackfeld & Co. to supply goods to sugar plantations, the store became B.F. Ehlers & Co. in the 1880s and then Liberty House in 1918.

Ownership by Federated hopefully will give Liberty House greater financial stability and an ownership with a focus on retailing. That should be welcome news for the department store's employees and loyal customers, who have been through nail-biting times in recent years.

Macy's knows how to operate in a competitive environment and, like Liberty House, has been through bankruptcy and reorganization, emerging as a stronger operation. Liberty House stumbled in the past because it misread retailing trends and became too complacent.

Macy's also should bring some new shopping excitement to the Islands, as have other new retailers.

All of those are pluses for Hawai'i.

For Macy's, the purchase is a win-win situation, too. Liberty House shoppers have proven their loyalty to the franchise; the store has a solid niche in the marketplace and prime space in major malls. Also, moving into the Hawai'i market gets Macy's closer to affluent Asian travelers.

Liberty House has done a lot in recent years to promote made-in-Hawai'i merchandise. It's good to hear Macy's will continue that effort and perhaps even build on it by promoting Hawai'i goods in its Mainland stores.

We hope Macy's can embrace Island ways and sensitivities, too. Liberty House has been a part of Hawai'i for 152 years, under the Liberty House name for the last 83 years. It's been a part of the lives of generations of Island families.

One way to embrace Island sensitivities might be to think deeply about the Liberty House name.

Macy's West Chairman Jeremiah Sullivan said it best: "Liberty House has a long tradition in Hawai'i and we are enthusiastic about building upon its history." If that's so, one way to build on that tradition would be to retain the Liberty House name in some form.

Hawai'i has seen too many of its venerable institutions and names disappear in recent years. In some cases, it's because firms and institutions could not adapt to changing times.

So welcome, and see if there is a way to keep that Liberty House name alive.