Shimogawa Scoops

Skybox Tap House, a new sports bar concept serving pizza and beer, is opening in the former Flour & Barley space at International Marketplace in Waikiki, Shimogawa Scoops has learned. Skybox is the creation of the same owners of ShoreFyre, which is also located on the top level of the marketplace amongst other restaurants such a Stripsteak Waikiki and Eating House 1849 by Roy Yamaguchi. Skybox recently filed a building permit for the former Flour & Barley space. The architect for the new sportspub is MGA Architecture. Skybox, which is scheduled to open later this year, should be a popular addition to the marketplace, especially during football season, where nearly every seat in sports bars around town is occupied. 

J. Dolan’s, a pizza institution in Hawaii, is expanding to East Oahu with a location planned at the new Kuono Marketplace in Kahala. The popular Irish pub and pizza joint is opening in the end-cap space that’s directly across from Zippy’s.  The space comes with outdoor seating, something it doesn’t have at its Chinatown location. J. Dolan’s, which serves a variety of New York-style pizza pies, is widely known as one of the best pizza pubs in Hawaii. J. Dolan’s was founded by Danny Dolan and J.J. Niebuhr more than a decade ago, with help from Don Murphy of Murphy’s Bar & Grill. Niebuhr stepped away from the business a few years ago. The long-awaited expansion of J. Dolan’s will be well received by the East Oahu market, which currently lacks good pizza restaurants.   Kuono Marketplace is anchored by Kahala MKT. by Foodland, and also includes Purve Donut Shop, Wholesale Unlimited, Great Clips, Drybar, Lanikai Juice and Daiichi Ramen, among others. 

Crumbl Cookies, the nation’s fastest-growing gourmet cookie company, is expanding to Hawaii with a new location in West Oahu, public records show. The Utah-based chain has nearly 80 locations with another 50 shops in the works. Crumbl Cookies has more than 180 different types of cookies, with a creative menu that rotates on a weekly basis. In Hawaii, it is opening later this year at the Target-anchored Kapolei Commons shopping center.  Crumbl filed a permit this week to build out its space at the West Oahu center. Some of its more popular cookies include the Muddy Buddy, Biscoff Lava, Funfetti, Snickerdoodle, Coconut Lime, Orange Creamsicle and Nutella Sea Salt. The company is known for its open kitchens that show customers its baking process and for its pink box packaging, as well as its delivery model. Be on the lookout for more Crumbl Cookie locations across Hawaii, especially in other shopping malls such as Kapolei Commons.

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.