Owner Gail Baron said the move will allow the gallery to focus on other stores — the flagship location at nearby Ward Warehouse, and a new gallery in Kailua, Nohea Island Arts.

She said the family-owned company had opened down the street from its main location because of redevelopment plans that had been announced five years ago.

"There was an announcement in 2002 that Ward Warehouse would be torn down on a certain day," Baron said. So, she and her daughter/partner, Laurie Baron, opened the Ward Center store next to Paul Brown Salon.

"We wanted to be in the Ward area," she said. "We found what we thought would be a good solution."

When those plans to demolish the shopping center didn't move forward, Baron said, they decided to shift emphasis to their other stores.

Nohea has been at Ward for 17 years and plan to redistribute some of what's at the store they are closing on May 15th to the other stores. They operate another store/gallery at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider.

Nohea features works by more than 500 local artists with a focus on made-in-Hawai'i items although it does carry some works created out of state, she said.