Volume X, No. 36 Waikīkī Improvement Association September 3—9, 2009 Waikīkī Wiki Wiki Wire Fresh Flower Lei Available Again Along Kalākaua Avenue Royal Hawaiian Center lei stands now open The fragrance of plumeria, tuberose and ginger fills the air at Helumoa, Waikīkī, with the long-awaited re-opening of two prominent Hawaiian-owned businesses. Aunty Bella’s Lei Stand fronting Royal Hawaiian Center’s Building A (Hale ‘Ili) and Coconut Hut Lei Stand fronting Building B (Hale ‘Aha) near The Royal Grove opened for business August 20, bringing a celebrated Hawaiian custom to the fore. Kapua Medeiros sells orchid lei to Mike Kamahana strings a lei of fragrant tuberose blossoms visitors at Aunty Bella’s Lei Stand near at Coconut Hut Lei Stand near The Royal Grove at Royal Lewers and Kalākaua Hawaiian Center. “Making, giving, receiving and wearing lei is an important part of the Hawaiian way of life. It’s a symbol of aloha and hospitality, and is something we have been enjoying for generations,” said Manu Boyd, cultural director for Royal Hawaiian Center. “Lei stands here at Helumoa help foster a Hawaiian environment,” Boyd added. Favorite lei flowers include an array of introduced flora like plumeria, ginger, pikake, pua kenikeni, tuberose, pua kalaunu (crown flower), roses and orchids. Native lei favorites, harder to get, include maile, ‘ilima, lehua, kou, ‘a‘ali‘i, pa‘iniu and such ferns as palapalai. Some of these native plants now grow at Royal Hawaiian Center in The Royal Grove. Continued on next page Inside this issue: Waikīkī receiving new recycling trash receptacles 3 Aqua offering ‘Pamper Me Pink’ special 6 Crazy Shirts stays eco-friendly with recycled plastic 3 Outrigger Reef presents O Ke Kai Series 6 bottle board shorts Hilton Hawaii takes over sponsorship of United 7 Forever 21 to open three-level store at RHC in 2010 4 Airlines ‘Halfway to Hawai‘i’ game Free Moonlight Movie at Embassy Suites-Waikiki UH Warrior Football plays on Royal Hawaiian 5 8 Beach Walk on September 5 Center big screens . and MORE Continued from front page Nearly eight decades ago, Kapela Moses opened a lei stand on Kalākaua Avenue at the present site of Royal Hawaiian Center. Kapela, whose nickname was “Bella,” is the namesake of Aunty Bella’s Lei Stand. One of Kapela’s daughters, Wahine‘aukai Moses Glushenko, groomed her children, including daughter Naomi Wahinekaupua Braine, in the business of “kau lei” (lei selling). Today, Naomi runs Aunty Bella’s with the kōkua of her daughter, Angela Kapua Medeiros, representing the fourth generation. “I’m just a keeper of part of our family legacy,” said Braine. Coconut Hut Lei Stand, now run by “Uncle Mike” Kamahana, is the legacy of another of Kapela’s daughters, Hannah Moses Shin. “We want to bring back the popularity of wearing lei at Royal Hawaiian Center,” said Boyd. “Our staff at Lei ‘Ohu Guest Services now wear lei daily, purchased from our two lei stands. We named our guest services operation “Lei ‘Ohu” meaning “adorning lei” with the expectation that Royal Hawaiian Center would welcome kama‘āina (local) and malihini (visitors) as if we are bedecking them with flower lei,” said Boyd. A high priority goal of Royal Hawaiian Center is to promote the integrity of Hawaiian cultural practices. That goal is shared by the Center owner, Kamehameha Schools. “The lei stands may not generate the kind of revenue that large retail operations do, but they are very important to Kamehameha and Royal Hawaiian Center for cultural and community reasons,” said Susan Todani, KS special projects director. September 2 was selected as the date for the blessing and dedication of the Center’s two lei stands as it is the anniversary of the birth of Queen Lili‘uokalani, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop’s hānai (adoptive) sister. The lands at Helumoa, Waikīkī are the property of the estate of Princess Pauahi – Kamehameha Schools. A well-known song honoring Queen Lili‘uokalani is “Makalapua” meaning ‘profusion of blooms.’ The song’s chorus provides our theme for the blessing and dedication of our leis stands: E lei ho‘i – bedecked with flower lei. Kamehameha Schools Kahu Kordell Kekoa will officiate at “E Lei Ho‘i” on Wednesday, September 2 at noon. The public is welcome to attend this celebration of flower lei at Helumoa at the grand re-opening of Aunty Bella’s Lei Stand and Coconut Hut Lei Stand. “Let’s enjoy the Hawaiian custom of wearing lei not just for special occasions, but as an everyday practice,” said Boyd. FREE PARKING: offer valid through January 31, 2010. The Center’s free parking promotion offers 3 hours of free parking with any restaurant validation and 2 hours free parking with any food court validation. Royal Hawaiian Theater validations apply for $5 parking after 10 p.m. Dining and entertainment validations can be combined with retail validations of $2 for 2 hours. No minimum purchase is required for validation. Page 2, September 3—9, 2009 Page 2 Waikīkī Wiki Wiki Wire Waikīkī Receiving New Crazy Shirts Stays Eco Recycling, Trash Receptacles Friendly With Recycled Mayor Mufi Hannemann announced today the Plastic Bottle Board Shorts installation of new recycling and trash receptacles along Kalākaua and Kūhiō avenues in Waikīkī. Reduce, reuse and recycle! That’s what Hawai‘i-based Crazy Shirts is doing with its “Eco” Board Shorts “My administration has been aggressively collection. Made with recycled plastic bottles, the implementing recycling all across O‘ahu, and we have synthetic material is converted into 100 percent now turned our attention to the heart of our tourism polyester polyethylene teraphthalate (PET) microfiber. district in Waikīkī,” said Mayor Hannemann. “We are The line is now available at all Hawai‘i retail locations making a concerted effort to divert trash from our City and online at www.CrazyShirts.com. landfill and will monitor the use of these public recycling bins with the intent of expanding to even “Crazy Shirts’ ‘Eco’ more City facilities and parks.” Board Shorts collection allows our fans to stay Waikīkī has 100 litter containers along both avenues, environmentally- and the Department of Environmental Services (ENV) friendly and in-style at will replace one-fourth with a recycling set. The 25 the same time,” said sets will be placed in key locations as identified by Mark Hollander, Waikīkī Business Improvement District Association president and chief (WBID). executive officer of Crazy Shirts. “Crazy “We have been Shirts has always been working closely committed to preserving with the City on our planet, from our creating a public use of water-soluble recycling program inks to our naturally for Waikīkī and cooled Hawai‘i we thank Mayor manufacturing plant to Hannemann, and our pioneering use of the Departments LED lighting in our retail locations. The Eco line was of Environmental a natural, no pun intended, extension for Crazy Services, Facility Shirts.” Maintenance, and Parks and Each Eco Board Shorts is Recreation for made from roughly seven working together 16-ounce bottles and the with us to make lightweight, quick-drying this project a reality,” said Jan Yamane, Executive material features Crazy Director of the Waikīkī Business Improvement District Shirts HydroPrint Association. “The new recycling containers are a great technology, which reveals a addition to Waikīkī’s streetscape and we are happy to different pattern when it gets assist the City in this new program which we believe wet. The men's short will raise awareness about the importance of features a Velcro-less fly for recycling.” comfort, hidden side mesh pocket with key fob, logo Added Eric grommets and drawstring. Masutomi, VP of The women's Eco Board Planning for Short is reversible and Outrigger includes a back pocket with Enterprises, “These logo grommets and an new recycling bins elastic key fob, as well as a split Velcro closure fly. The will go a long way shorts are available in men’s ($45), women’s ($46) and toward beautifying kids sizes ($29). Waikīkī, and will help keep our For more information about Crazy Shirts, visit island green.” www.crazyshirts.com. Page 3, September 3—9, 2009 Page 3 Waikīkī Wiki Wiki Wire Forever 21 To Open 42,580-Square-Foot, Three Level Store At Royal Hawaiian Center in 2010 Forever 21 will be located between The Cheesecake Factory and bebe at the Diamond Head end of Royal Hawaiian Center in Building C. The store will have a major entrance on Kalākaua Avenue as well as internal customer entrances on each of the three levels of the Center. The size, merchandise mix and design concept for the store will give Forever 21 the opportunity to introduce more of its brand labels to the Hawai‘i market. The store will offer an exciting shopping adventure for fashionistas of all ages seeking the latest unique women¹s and men¹s apparel and accessories. Forever 21’s retail concept is driven by fashion trends and excitement. Its model of fast fashion works by keeping the store exciting with fresh merchandise offerings brought in daily. “This news is generating a lot of excitement and anticipation,” said Rosalind Schurgin, CEO at The Festival Companies, manager and developer for Royal Hawaiian Center. “Forever 21 is one of the best retailing concepts in the world today. It is hugely popular with a great variety of merchandise that will appeal to kama‘āina and visitors alike. We are very happy they will soon open at Royal Hawaiian Center and join our fantastic lineup of retailers and restaurants.” Forever 21 executive vice president Larry Meyer shares in this excitement and says, “Our concept has been very successful in Hawai‘i thus far.