Wow, is that right? Did the Ala Moana location of Build-A-Bear close down? It seemed like we were just there! The Build-A-Bear store locator shows the nearest location is either San Mateo (2386 miles) or Santa Clara (2400 miles away).
Oh well, at least we have Luna Lamb and Ovejita.
With an upcoming family member’s wedding coming up, we had some serious shopping to do in preparation. Was at Ala Moana for several hours and did some damage!
Just a note but finding matching pants for a jacket isn’t so easy. And pinstripes are in now, making a match that much harder.
Besides shopping, I learned that Shirokiya changed its food vendor so lots of the goodies you enjoyed over the years are no longer. The new food selection is geared towards buying a bunch of things to make up a meal. There are still self contained bentos, but many of the offerings are partial dishes. And when did tonkatsu without rice cost $11?!
At Nordstroms, I spied mixed martial arts fighter, Egan Inoue, hanging out. Later on, I saw the creative services crew of KGMB9 finishing their lunch break. Yeah, Troy Siruno’s glasses are distinct and look exactly like his Twitter avatar.
The shopping was so epic I had to juice up twice during the day, once from Starbucks and another time from the eBar at Nordstroms! Maybe that’s why I can’t sleep now…
Update: Troy also blogged this encounter on his KGMB9 blog where he details his Oakley custom glasses.
Can you believe Ala Moana Center is turning 50 years old on Thursday, August 13, 2009? That’s even before Hawaii became a U.S. state!
As part of the mall’s 50th Anniversary, there are some planned events and celebrations including a photo contest where patrons can send in their favorite picture of Ala Moana from the past 5 decades. Selected photos will be displayed at the Centerstage area from August 13-31, and the winner will receive a $250 Ala Moana gift card.
I’m thinking Ala Moana should go super social with this photo contest and really capture the years of the mall. Why not invite shoppers to submit a massive photostream of their pictures online? I’d like to see and remember how Ala Moana has changed over the years, and I think the only way to document that is through pictures from the people. I’d like to see the comings and goings of stores and all the various construction projects the center has seen.
As is, I can barely remember the days of Liberty House, before the upscale shopping and dining of the third floor. I want to see pictures of the bird (or was it monkey) cage outside of Shirokiya. How about pictures of the original Farrells? What was there before the Apple Store? Wasn’t it some kind of luggage store?
It’d be really cool if all these user submitted pictures were organized and overlaid on an online map of the center where viewers could take a virtual stroll through its history in pictures. This would be very intensive to establish and maintain but just think of all the memories!
One other downer is that all the really good pictures would be of the developed type, not digital, making online uploading more bothersome. Too bad Ala Moana couldn’t set up a few kiosks throughout the mall where users could scan and upload their favorite pics.
Seeing all the pictures of old and new Ala Moana would definitely make people remember its place in Hawaii traditions.
So the new Calvin Klein billboard is causing a stir in New York, but is this gigantic Victoria’s Secrets poster any less racy?
This image facades the construction site of the new Victoria’s Secrets at Ala Moana. Anyways, this location is now hiring.
It was one month ago and the Disney Store at Ala Moana was under construction. Now, the new location is open for business.
It’s quite a bit smaller than the previous location taking over the former location of Sharper Image.
Men and their toys are going to get a boost when the new Lego store opens at Ala Moana on July 29. Hawaii reportedly has a big Lego fan base represented by the Lego Enthusiasts Association of Hawaii (LEAHI), hence the logical choice of opening a Honolulu location.
On August 15, the first 300 customers who spend $35 at the store will receive a special Lego set of a humuhumunukunukuapua’a and coral. That’s definitely a collector’s item!
I got to check this store out and perhaps, bring in some of my vintage stuff.
Thanks to @hawaii for the picture.
Purveyor of intimate apparel Victoria’s Secrets is causing some large scale changes at Ala Moana. The forthcoming store displaced the Gap, the Disney Store, and Footlocker.
That’s a lot of lingerie coming to Hawaii.
Economic times continue to be tough, especially in the electronics arena. First, all Circuit City locations closed their doors. Now Shirokiya is shutting down its electronic department.
What to do with the 3800 square feet of space? How about more seating to eat my bento so that I don’t have to jockey for tables? I know, along with more seating how about bringing the bird cage back? Not as huge as the old school Shirokiya, but have a good sized bird cage next to the additional seating area so patrons can watch the birds as they peacefully enjoy their meals.
Did you happen to see the iPod vending machine in Macy’s Ala Moana? It’s located downstairs between the kids clothing section and the men’s shoe department. While iPod vending machines have been around for a few years, I haven’t seen one in Hawaii (not that I was looking), and the one in Macy’s looks different.
Yes, the product line is updated with iPod Shuffles, Nanos, Classics, and even Touches. The vending machine also sells non-Apple accessories like earbuds, headphones, chargers, and speakers. Heck, you need a Canon PowerShot SD850 IS or SD750 digital camera? This machine will dispense them.
What looks a little different about this vending machine (though I haven’t seen closeups of older vending machines) is the availability of memory card slots and audio controls. Other than for maintenance purposes, I can’t figure out why have a USB, SD, CF, Memory Stick, and xD slot. Can this vending machine also print pictures from memory cards??
Next to the memory slots are audio controls and a headphone jack. Does this vending machine also dispense music and perhaps even videos? Pick out a few things, and the vending machine will spit out a custom gift card with a code redeemable for your selected songs, movies, or games?? Dumb me, I didn’t watch the running demo on the video screen for any type of explanation.
Oh well. If you happen to be at Macy’s Ala Moana, stop on by and gawk a little. A few more pics.
Technorati Tags: Apple, Hawaii, iPod
Tried to get a jump start on the weekend but instead had a delayed weekend. On Friday, we planned to head to the Iolani Family Fair when they opened. But we had to wait for our water heater installation, so a lunch arrival time turned into a dinner arrival.
On Saturday, we were going for dim sum at Royal Garden in the Ala Moana Hotel at 11:30. Turned out closer to 12:30 after finding parking at a packed Ala Moana. The new Nordstrom’s parking structure has tons of covered parking, so if you’re willing to walk a bit, save some time and head straight there. While at the Ala Moana Hotel, saw quite a few attendees of the Comic Convention(?) walking around dressed up in some outlandish outfits.
The new Nordstrom’s area is impressive. A little different feel from the rest of Ala Moana since it was designed new, not just retrofitted from the existing mall spaces. Lots more stores added and the relocated Williams Somoma is huge. I didn’t go inside the new Nordstrom but did get a Mexican Mocha from their eBar.
