Shimogawa Scoops

Daiso, the hugely popular Japanese discount retailer, is expanding on Oahu with a new location opening in Downtown Honolulu, according to sources close to the situation. Daiso already has two stores on Oahu, one in Pearl City and another in the Honolulu area on Piikoi Street. The retailer has drawn huge crowds and will most definitely continue on that trajectory at its third location in Hawaii at the historic Pantheon Building on Fort Street Mall. The “Japanese Dollar Store” has more than 3,000 stores in Japan and over 5,000 across the globe.  Daiso has more than 80 stores in the United States, with many more on the way, especially in Hawaii.

  Hawaiian Airlines is selling the office building near Honolulu International Airport (now named after Daniel K. Inouye) where it currently houses its headquarters, according to a listing by CBRE. The state's largest air carrier purchased the Airport Center office building just five years ago for $10.8 million in cash.  Hawaiian, like many other airlines across the world, has struggled through the effects of people traveling significantly less due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The building came under some controversy after Hawaiian looked into painting over the iconic mural done by marine artist Wyland. However, the two sides were able to come to an agreement to keep the mural where it’s at.  There is no asking price for Hawaiian's 111,109-square-foot, 14-story office building on Ualena Street. 

DocuSign’s founder has purchased a 1-acre oceanfront estate in Hawaii for $12 million, Shimogawa Scoops has learned. Tom Gonser, the creator of the billion-dollar electronic signature company, purchased the 2,700-square-foot pristine property in Makena on the island of Maui earlier this month. The property has a total tax assessed value of about $13 million. Hawaii has been a hot spot for high-end real estate purchases, even during the pandemic. DocuSign, which is headquartered in San Francisco, has nearly 4,000 employees and went public in 2018.

A hotel could be in the works near the University of Hawaii Manoa campus in Honolulu, which would be the first of its kind in the area. Public records show that a Kamehameha Schools development executive has filed public documents this week for the long-planned redevelopment of Puck’s Alley, which includes a 180-room hotel.  Kamehameha Schools, the state’s largest private landowner, owns Puck’s Alley and other nearby properties, bounded by South King Street and University Avenue. Other proposed redevelopment plans of Puck’s Alley include some 23,000-square-feet of commercial space and about 34,000-square-feet of restaurant space, as well as multi-family residential units.  Plans for adjacent parcels include more redevelopment of existing buildings into new retail businesses and restaurants.  Kamehameha has had several plans to redevelop this area of Moiliili during the last several decades, although nothing has made it to the development finish line just yet.

Raising Cane’s and its famous chicken fingers will be opening another location in Hawaii, this time in the state’s tourism mecca of Waikiki, public records show. The popular fast-food restaurant is opening in the former Uncle Tetsu’s Japanese Cheesecake space at the second level food court at the Royal Hawaiian Center. The Panda Restaurant Group is the Hawaii franchisee for both Uncle Tetsu and Raising Cane’s. This was Uncle Tetsu’s first location in the United States. Raising Cane’s has been on an expansion tear by quickly opening several locations in Hawaii.  Counting its Waikiki eatery, it will have five spots in Hawaii. Thus far, all are located or opening on Oahu at Hawaii Kai, Mililani, Ala Moana Center in Honolulu and its original location on King Street near University of Hawaii Manoa.  It was only a matter of time before Raising Cane’s  found its Waikiki location. It’s sure to be one of its more popular locations because of its popularity with Mainland travelers....

  Former Major League Baseball MVP Jeff Kent has purchased an oceanfront Hawaii estate on Oahu’s eastern coast, public records show. The 2000 National League MVP second baseman with the San Francisco Giants paid $4.5 million for the 14,250-square-foot estate that includes a 2,805-square-foot four-bedroom, five-bathroom home and a guest house. The pristine Waimanalo property has a total assessed value of about $3.4 million, according to tax records. It is located not too far away from the property that is reportedly being built for former President Barack Obama and his close friend Marty Nesbitt, a Chicago private equity firm executive. Kent, a five-time All-Star and all-time leader in home runs among second basemen, also played for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers.

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.