PO'IPU, Kaua'i — Four art galleries, two boutique stores and a restaurant opened yesterday at the new Kukui'ula Village shopping center on Kaua'i's south shore.

People attending a blessing for the $55 million center said it gives them hope that the economic downturn is easing.

"Our vision is this will be a gathering place for Kaua'i's south side, for people to eat, drink, shop, people-watch and hang out," Kukui'ula Development President Richard Holtzman told about 100 people who attended the event.

About 65 percent of the 90,000-square-foot center has committed tenants, who will be moving in a few at a time between yesterday's soft opening and a grand opening scheduled for December, Holtzman said.

The tenants open for business yesterday were Bubba's Burgers (a third Kaua'i location), Palm Palm women's boutique (relocated from the Coconut Marketplace), Bungalow 9 home decor boutique, Gallerie 103, Gallerie+, Scott Hanft Photography Gallery and James Hoyle Gallery.

Retail stores on the way include Quiksilver, Brazil Bazar Bikini, Bead Delicious, Sunglass Hut and Kukui'ula Realty.

Restaurants coming this fall include: Dude's Dogs hot dog café, Merriman's Kaua'i, Merriman's Cafe, Tortilla Republic Grill & Margarita Bar, Josselin's Tapas (a new restaurant by Jean-Marie Josselin, the former chef of the Pacific Cafe in Kapa'a), and Lappert's Coffee and Ice Cream.

Sonja and Tim Moffat, owners of Hanalei's popular BarAcuda restaurant, will open the Living Foods Market and Cafe. The space will offer high-quality produce and groceries, as well as eat-in and and take-out dining with an emphasis on locally grown foods, homemade breads and "grab-and-go" gourmet meals created in their kitchen for dining at home, Tim Moffat said.

Holtzman said the developers paused to consider whether they wanted to complete the shopping center during a recession, "but we were already into it far enough, we needed to go forward."

Kaua'i-based Unlimited Construction employed 200 people for 18 months to complete the center, company chairman Peter Robson said.

"This is wonderful," Kaua'i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. said. "It's things like this that keep people motivated and gives us hope."

Another sign of economic life on Kaua'i is the pilot staging of the Kaua'i Marathon Labor Day weekend, which sold out Po'ipu resort accommodations for the 1,600 runners and their family and friends, Carvalho said.

County Councilman Dickie Chang said the shop openings "despite the economy shows these are the people that are confident."

Kukui'ula Village's shops and restaurants are housed in 10 one- and two-story buildings designed by Architects Hawai'i to evoke the plantation era.

"I took a walk around and it really is like an old-time camp area, very comfortable," said the Rev. Ipo Kahaunaele Ferreira, before blessing the complex. "I was here when it was just dirt and now look at it."

Kukui'ula Village is at the roundabout intersection of Po'ipu Road and the new western bypass, Ala Kalanikaumaka, the gateway to the Kukui'ula subdivision, which has authorization to build 1,500 new homes.

A golf course and clubhouse to anchor the upscale development are on track to be completed in December 2010, Holtzman said. Of the first phase of 122 homes, 81 have sold and eight homes are under construction, he said.

"When we have these economic valleys where news is not always good, there are definite pockets of good things going on that we need to highlight," Kaua'i Chamber of Commerce President Randy Francisco said as he snacked on a hot malassada and a cold cup of POG juice.