ByteWare ditching electronic inventory

By Dan Nakaso
Advertiser Staff Writer

ByteWare, which started as a customized computer system retailer 10 years ago and expanded into plasma televisions and other home electronics last year, is going out of business, but may emerge in some new form.

Todd Yamamoto, ByteWare's owner, declined several requests for interviews. Others in the small world of independently owned, Ho-nolulu consumer electronics retailers said Yamamoto is selling his inventory of digital cameras, laptop computers, flat-screen and plasma televisions and other electronic gadgets in ByteWare's Kalihi store on School Street to prepare for a new business focused on home theater systems and other home electronics.

"They're closing up one shop and opening up another," said Jun Kang, whose family owns Video Life, a ByteWare competitor in the Ward Village Shops.

"They've created a little havoc by posing as going out of business and getting people to go check them out. Then they're going to pop up again with more emphasis on more or less what we do, high-end home audio and video."

Other competitors said ByteWare changed its emphasis to home electronics because it could not keep up with customers' demands to support the customized computer systems.

Yamamoto "went up against the big boys, CompUSA and Circuit City as an independent owner," said another retailer who asked not to be identified. "It just wasn't worth it anymore. There were too many headaches dealing with customer support."

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8085.