KAILUA-KONA — Hilo Hattie’s is returning the Big Island with the soft opening of a scaled-back storefront tentatively planned for some time around Labor Day.
The store — specializing in apparel, souvenirs, gifts and packaged foods — has procured 1,100 square feet in the Kona Inn Shopping Village. Its former Kailua-Kona location was almost 13 times that size.
“We call it the best of Hilo Hattie’s,” said Mark Storfer, executive vice president and chief operating officer.
The old Kailua-Kona location closed in January 2015 as the company filed for bankruptcy. Since then, Hilo Hattie’s has focused on shifting its business model, namely making each operation smaller.
The Kailua-Kona location will be the fourth in Hawaii. There are already locations on Oahu, Maui and Kauai.
Storfer said Hattie will soon return to Hilo, as well.
“Hilo is on our list, too,” he explained. “As soon as a location (opens up) we feel fits our current format, we’ll be back up.”
The storefront in the Kona Inn Shopping Village is the perfect venue for what Storfer and the company are looking for. Roughly 80 percent of Hilo Hattie’s business is done with the visitor industry — a trend that’s held true since the company opened its doors in 1963.
The company partners with cruise lines, which include its locations as stops on sponsored shopping tours. Storfer said the Kona site, near Kailua Pier and right off Alii Drive, is also ideal for picking up extra foot traffic.
Hilo Hattie’s hook in a competitive marketplace is “authentic Hawaiian.” Storfer said more than 90 percent of what’s sold in the stores is made in Hawaii, including items like Kona coffee.
“We strive as much as possible to provide locally designed and produced products,” he said. “We support a lot of small, local manufacturers.”
Storfer added the opening of the Kailua-Kona location should create about 10 jobs. Applications are currently being accepted.