Shimogawa Scoops

Purve donut shop, one of the most popular local donut shops in Hawaii, is opening at the Kahala Mkt. by Foodland-anchored Kuono marketplace in East Oahu, public records show. The new 1,200-square-foot shop is located next to Territorial Savings Bank at the new shopping center that’s owned by Kamehameha Schools and across from Kahala Mall. Purve, which has an original location in the Ala Moana area on Kona Street, serves donuts fresh-to-order including original flavors as Unicorn Butt Sneeze, Sunburnt Haole and O Face. Purve will be a great addition to the 40,000-square-foot Kuono Marketplace, joining such well-known tenants as Drybar, Lanikai Juice, Beer Lab HI and Daiichi Ramen. 

Matthew McConaughey has purchased a one-acre estate at the ultra-luxury Kukio Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii that encompasses sweeping ocean views for $7.8 million, public records show. The mega-superstar actor, who is known for his prominent roles in such popular films as “A Time To Kill,” “The Wedding Planner” and “Dallas Buyers Club,” closed on his Hawaii real estate purchase earlier this month. The Kona-Kohala Coast property on the west side of the Big Island, which is known as the Kaupulehu Residence, includes a six-bedroom, six-bathroom home that has an impressive 66-foot-wide infinity pool. Kukio, which is known as one of the most luxurious exclusive master-planned communities in Hawaii, is home to some of the world’s wealthiest and well-known individuals. McConaughey certainly fits in well at Kukio, and was recently in Hawaii this past summer with his wife, Camila Alves, where they may have been scoping properties to buy in the state. Despite the pandemic, the Hawaii real e...

What was one of the biggest real estate sales listings in Hawaii’s history has now apparently quietly fizzled away. In late 2017, a Hawaii affiliate of Sotheby’s International Realty announced via national publications that it was listing for sale a major portion of a Hawaiian Island. The 55,000 acres of Molokai Ranch was listed for $260 million about three years ago, and since then, the listing has been taken down, likely signaling that the owners have decided to go in a different direction.  The ranch, a major part of the “Friendly Isle,” is primarily engaged in cattle ranching and utilities operations, and once was home to a popular hotel that has not reopened.  The potential sale would’ve rivaled the sale of 98% of the island of Lanai, which was purchased by billionaire Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison, who paid $300 million for those properties several years ago.  The tech titan now lives on Lanai, and has major development plans in the works such as building a sub...

  Tiger Sugar, the hugely popular Taiwan-based boba tea chain that is also known for its ice cream treats, is expanding to Hawaii with a new location in Downtown Honolulu, Shimogawa Scoops has learned. Tiger Sugar recently filed a building permit to open at the Nuuanu Square retail center at 1365 Nuuanu Ave., which also includes Papa John’s Pizza and Nuuanu Okazu-ya. The popular company is also known for its boba ice cream bars that is a version of its signature beverage in which boba is included into its ice cream bars. While there are many boba tea shops in Hawaii, the popularity in this tasty drink has not gone down, with new entrance into the market still happening on a recent basis. Tiger Milk will face some stiff competition from the likes of well-established Hawaii chains such as Teapresso, Friend Café (Top Tea) and Cowcow’s Tea.

A new condominium tower may be in the works across from Starbucks in Ward Village in Honolulu, Shimogawa Scoops has learned. The planned 413-unit tower would be located at The Howard Hughes Corp.’s Block “A” that is located along Ala Moana Boulevard and has sweeping views of the ocean. The Texas-based developer, which has already built several other towers in its Ward Village master-planned community, filed a permit to look into the development of its newest tower in Honolulu’s Kakaako district.  The tower, which may include a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units, would be located where there was once an office building that was recently demolished.  It’s likely that this new tower will include higher-priced condos since it includes nice ocean views. The Howard Hughes Corp. is in the midst of developing its mixed-use master-planned community with several towers already completed such as Waiea, Anaha and Aeo, with many more in the works. 

Wahlburgers, founded by the chef brother of movie and pop star brothers, Mark and Donnie Wahlberg, is opening its first Hawaii restaurant in the former Cafe Lani space at Honolulu’s Ala Moana Center, Shimogawa Scoops has learned. The new restaurant will be located on the mall’s Level 2 in the Ewa Wing near Longs Drugs and Shabuya, and led by California-based OneTeam Restaurant Group. Wahlburgers, which has about 35 locations around the world, mainly in the U.S., filed a building permit Friday for its new restaurant and bar at Hawaii’s largest mall, and also filed other public records regarding its Honolulu eatery including registering its trade name. The casual dining burger restaurant was also featured in a TV series that aired on A&E for several seasons.  Wahlburgers will join Olive Garden, another well-known restaurant that recently opened its first location in the Islands at Ala Moana Center.

Von’s Chicken, the hugely popular Korean fried chicken restaurant chain, is expanding to East Oahu with a location opening in Kaimuki, public records show. Von’s is opening its sixth location at a small retail strip center at   3036 Waialae Ave., which is across from AutoZone.  The chicken chain has been on a fast-moving expansion plan on Oahu with more on the way including expanding to West Oahu.  Its tasty chicken wings has captured quite the following. Von’s started out with just one location inside the Palama Supermarket in the Ala Moana area but already has five locations. 

  Olive Garden, one of the most popular restaurants that does not have a presence in Hawaii yet, is planning to open its second location in Kapolei in West Oahu at the Ka Makana Alii shopping Center, according to public records. Olive Garden plans to open its first eatery in the state at Hawaii’s largest shopping mall – Ala Moana Center in Honolulu in the former space of Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. On Friday, Olive Garden filed a $25,000 building permit with the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Planning and Permitting for a new restaurant at the Debartolo Development-owned shopping center. Both DeBartolo and Olive Garden’s parent company are based in Florida. Ka Makana Alii, which opened a few years ago under a long-term ground lease with the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, already includes a variety of well-known national brands including Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Cheesecake Factory, Johnny Rockets, Jollibee, Wendy’s and Panda Express. Olive Garden has b...

  Legendary rock star Carlos Santana continued his real estate buying spree on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai’s North Shore with his third purchase in less than two years, according to public records. Earlier this month, the 73-year-old iconic American-Mexican guitarist purchased a 4,386-square-foot, 4-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom home that sits on a 13,187-square-foot parcel of land in the Princeville at Hanalei luxury master-planned community on Kauai. Santana paid $3.8 million for the property, which has a total assessed value of about $3.7 million. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has been busy buying properties on the Garden Isle, first purchasing a 1.48-acre estate for $2.7 million in February 2019 and then another 3.02-acre estate a year later for $8 million, public records show. Santana, who has already put his 2019 purchase on the market for just under $3 million, has earned 10 Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards for his unique style and sound.