When Niketown opened in Waikiki in 1998, it was going to be the new hot thing that would make visitors, especially tourists from Japan, arrive in droves and spend money like crazy. It was going to revitalize the 'ewa side of Kalakaua and shine hipness and health (and prosperity) like a beacon radiating out of its pretty store.

Next month, Niketown will close, its hotness cooled to tepid, its golf shirts hanging a bit slump-shouldered in resignation at the prospect of being sold at discounted prices.

It's a sad thing when even a big idea can't make a go of it. Also, Niketown was a pretty with-it corporate citizen, sponsoring events and helping out charities in town. That kokua will be missed.

The economy certainly had to have been a factor, but it wasn't the only problem. Niketown was another victim of ennui.

Something about the human psyche craves both the comfort of the familiar and the stimulation of the new. The old stand-bys, humble but reliable, tend to make it through troughs and trends. When a business like Niketown opens, it's big on the novelty factor but doesn't plant any sort of nostalgic hook. When the newness wears off, people start looking to the next new thing.

It has happened so many times in Honolulu.

Remember when Restaurant Row was the new hot spot that was going to light up the night and bring new energy into town? It's pretty quiet now.

Aloha Tower Marketplace was touted as the hip place to be for both locals and visitors. Now you can go there for lunch and be the only customer at the bar.

Same thing for Hard Rock Cafe, which used to be so crowded they had to hire parking attendants just to tell folks they couldn't park there.

And all that happened before the economy tanked.

Perhaps a building, no matter how fancy and cool, isn't the answer to "revitalizing" a slow pocket in town. It might work for a while, but in the long run, people lose interest and go back to the old stand-bys, like buying athletic shoes at the mall. "Hip" is a hard act to sustain. Everything new gets old.

The mantra "If we build it, they will come" should be retired. Tourists will come because of the beaches (as long as they're clean and safe and uncrowded), the weather, the culture and the graciousness with which they are treated. Those things don't get old.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.