The nation's largest consumer electronics retailer, Best Buy, is nearly finished building its first Hawai'i outlet in Iwilei and has scheduled the opening for July 29 shortly after a 10 a.m. blessing.

Best Buy said the 50,000-square-foot store at 478 Alakawa St. will be the largest consumer electronics store in the state, and will feature home theater demonstration rooms, specialists trained in technology for businesses and an area to install equipment in automobiles.

The store also will contain more than 25,000 CD titles, 20,000 DVD movie titles and 1,000 software titles.

About 190 full- and part-time employees have been hired, mostly from Hawai'i.

Best Buy has scheduled musical festivities to celebrate its new store, with Aunty Genoa Keawe performing at 9:30 a.m. July 29, Na Leo at 6:30 p.m. July 29, Hapa at 1 p.m. July 30 and Raiatea Helm at 2:30 p.m. July 31.

The Iwilei store is the first of two Best Buy stores planned for O'ahu. The second store is scheduled to open in late October in Waimalu.

Minneapolis-based Best Buy operates about 690 stores in 48 states and said it plans to open more than 60 stores this fiscal year.

In Iwilei Best Buy will join neighbors Home Depot and Costco in the growing big-box retail neighborhood near the Dole Cannery office and retail complex. A Lowe's hardware store also is planned nearby fronting Nimitz Highway between Home Depot and City Mill.