Shimogawa Scoops

The daughter of the late Japanese billionaire Hideki Yokoi, who has ties to President Donald Trump and one of New York City’s most famous landmarks - the Empire State Building - has recently purchased a residential unit at the ultra-luxury Park Lane Ala Moana condominium in Honolulu, public records show. KNR Park Lane LLC, which is managed by Kiiko Nakahara-Renoir, paid $8.8 million for the 3,353-square-foot, 3-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom unit, which has sweeping views of the ocean and is built atop Hawaii’s largest shopping mall, Ala Moana Center. Built a few years ago, it is known as one of the most luxurious condo projects ever built in Hawaii. The Park Lane unit has a total assessed value of about $6.5 million and was developed by Honolulu’s Kobayashi Group, The MacNaughton Group and General Growth Properties, the former owner of the Honolulu mall. Interestingly, Park Lane Ala Moana was named after New York’s famed Park Avenue. According to a 1999 article in The Wall Street Journa...

A new poke shop is opening in the Walgreens-anchored Nuuanu Shopping Center in Honolulu, Shimogawa Scoops has learned. Paradise Poke Hawaii has secured the long-vacant space next to Starbucks. Its space along with the Starbucks space used to be occupied by the famous Hungry Lion restaurant.  Paradise Poke Hawaii was registered as a trade name with state regulators. Chancellor Kim of Premier Island Brokerage is listed as its manager.  Building permits were also filed for the build-out of the space, which is a great spot for a poke shop, and will undoubtedly be a popular stop along busy School Street just outside of downtown. 

Dick Ebersol,  the co-creator of Saturday Night Live and former top executive of NBC Sports, has purchased an oceanfront residence on the Hawaiian Island of Maui for about $6.9 million, public records show.  Ebersol, along with his wife, actress Susan Saint   James, purchased a 2,934-square-foot unit at The Wailea Beach Villas on Maui’s South Shore. The residence has a total assessed value of about $7 million, according to tax records.  The couple  are no strangers to   Maui . They have been known to visit  the Valley Isle  during the winter months for many years , a trip  that started when the NFL  used to hold its  Pro Bowl  all-star game in Hawaii for many years.  Leslie Smith of Wailea Realty  Corp.  +   Windemere  Real Estate listed the property, which includes a master bedroom that has a private alcove office that leads directly out to the lanai, custom-built cabinets, gourmet kitchen with a cust...

Rendering of Avalon Group's latest project - The Shops at West Loch Station in Waipahu, which has seen tremendous interest during the pandemic.  In just a few days, it will have been three years in my role as real estate project manager for Avalon Group, one of the top real estate development firms in Hawaii. Started by one of the top real estate minds in the state – Christine Camp – Avalon is now in its 21 st year, and I couldn’t be in a better situation in this important industry in Hawaii, especially during these turbulent times. At Avalon, my roles include property management, project management, sales, leasing, business development, communications and work in the area of development. As a real estate developer, you see all facets of the real estate spectrum, from leasing, sales to property management. Although Hawaii certainly has seen a slow down of its high-octane real estate sector during this pandemic, there has been lots of bright spots including the fact tha...

Bette Midler, the legendary singer and actress who has strong ties to Hawaii, has recently sold her parcel of land on the North Shore of the Hawaiian Island of Kauai for $1.85 million, public records show. Midler, who attended Honolulu's Radford High School, sold her 1.34-acre conservation-zoned plot of land to a partner of Discovery Land Co., a developer of luxury residential private club communities across North America. Located along Kuhio Highway in Haena, the land has a total assessed value of $886,000, tax records show. In late 1986, Midler, who is known for her hit song, “Wind Beneath My Wings,” which was featured in the hit movie “Beaches” that she played a part in, purchased the land for a mere $150,000.

Chick-fil-A, which recently announced plans to expand to Hawaii, may open its first location in an existing Burger King restaurant space along Beretania Street in Honolulu, according to public records. This week, Chick-fil-A filed a sewer connection application for the Burger King space, which was also on the market. “This is a great location for Chick-fil-A’s first Hawaii restaurant, as it’s located on a prime street in Honolulu that’s not too far from Downtown Honolulu and a couple of major hospitals, the Blasidell Center and the densely populated neighborhood of Makiki,” said Duane Shimogawa, real estate project manager for Honolulu’s Avalon Group. “Chick-fil-A’s entrance into the Hawaii market is long overdue and is one of several new restaurants or retailers to finally make the jump over the Pacific Ocean to open their first location in the Islands, which is a welcoming sight for both residents and visitors alike. Expect to see more Chick-fil-A locations sprout up across the ...

Shirokiya Holdings, which consists of popular restaurants and retail shops including Shirokiya Japan Village Walk, Vintage Cave Club and Vintage Cave Café, has struck a deal to lease a 3,045-square-foot warehouse space across Ala Moana Center in Honolulu. The company, owned by prominent Japanese businessman Takeshi Sekiguchi, is consolidating its numerous other storage spaces that houses its equipment, furniture and fixtures into this new space at 1388 Kapiolani Blvd. Avalon Commercial, a subsidiary of prominent Honolulu real estate firm Avalon Group, brokered the deal on behalf of both the landlord and tenant. “It’s a win-win situation for both the landlord and the tenant because Shirokiya needed a big warehouse space near Ala Moana Center, where its restaurants are located, and the landlord was looking for a high-credit tenant to lease its last remaining vacant space,” said Duane Shimogawa of Avalon, who completed the transaction on behalf of both parties. The history o...