Apple Computer Inc. is close to finishing construction of its second Hawai'i retail store, which could open in the next few weeks at Kahala Mall.

The store is expected to boost customer traffic at the shopping center, which has had several large tenants close in the past year, including Tower Records and Gap.

Apple is opening its store in much of the space vacated by Gap, between another still-empty space and a former Foot Locker store now occupied by apparel retailer Ecosystem.

Ron Yoda, Kahala Mall general manager, said he initially expected the Apple store to open sometime before Christmas, but store development changes delayed the tentative schedule.

Yoda said that based on construction progress and planned merchandise deliveries, he expects Apple could open its store in the next couple of weeks.

A spokeswoman for Apple in California said the company is not yet announcing a scheduled opening date, but usually does so about a week before a store opens.

The maker of revolutionary electronic gizmos such as the iPhone, iPod and Macintosh computer is expected to deliver a rush of Mac enthusiasts, who have turned out by the hundreds for other new Apple store openings.

"We're looking for a huge traffic increase when they open their doors," Yoda said. "They generate a loyal following ... fanatics almost."

The 5,000-square-foot Apple store will be the company's second in Hawai'i. The first opened at Ala Moana Center in 2003, two years after the computer maker began rolling out company-owned retail stores to sell its products.

In other parts of Kahala Mall, five of Consolidated Theatres' eight screens closed last March by a flood reopened on Dec. 15. The other three theaters, which were more heavily damaged, are expected to begin showing films again early this year.

The former Tower Records space was returned to the mall recently, and mall owners are still considering what to do with the roughly 10,000-square-foot space, Yoda said. Before Tower, the space was home to one restaurant, then another.

Another upcoming change is the planned closure of Star Market when its lease ends in March. Yoda said two general options are being considered — splitting up the 26,000-square-foot space for a food court and perhaps a niche food market, or finding one large replacement tenant.

"The owners haven't decided yet," Yoda said.

Reach Andrew Gomes at agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com.