Posted on: Tuesday, April 5, 2005
Hilo Hattie expanding with San Diego store
 |
| A sketch of the San Diego store that Hilo Hattie will open next month. It's in a downtown shopping and dining area near the city's convention center and sports stadium.
Hilo Hattie rendering |
Advertiser Staff
Hilo Hattie is once again expanding on the Mainland after the kama'aina retailer cut back on stores outside Hawai'i during the past two years.
The company plans to open a 5,000-square-foot store next month in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, a historic downtown district containing the city's convention center, 3,000 hotel rooms, residential condos and the Padres' professional baseball stadium.
The store will be the retailer's fourth on the Mainland, and the first to open there in two years since three poorly positioned stores were closed in Miami, Nashville and Tempe, Ariz.
Hilo Hattie operates a Mainland flagship store in Orange, Calif., and one in Las Vegas that were untouched by the round of closures, plus a store in Orlando, Fla., that was downsized prior to opening two years ago.
Paul deVille, president and chief executive officer of the retailer of Hawaiian apparel and gifts, said the San Diego location — brimming with dining, shopping and entertainment catering to visitors and residents — is "vintage" Hilo Hattie. "It's so well-positioned for our style of retailing," he said.
The new site also will give Hilo Hattie a smaller-store concept to compare with its 20,000-square-foot Orange, Calif., store at The Block at Orange mall, as the company assesses opportunities for more stores in Southern California.
Also on Hilo Hattie's list of potential expansion areas are Las Vegas, Waikiki, Waikoloa on the Big Island and Po'ipu on Kaua'i.
Hilo Hattie opened its first Mainland store in 1998. The company operates eight stores in Hawai'i.
