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HULA RISING
Sure, we had an inkling that hula was big in Japan. But according to a recent report by Forbes, “Tokyo has 20 of the world’s 800 traditional certified hula schools,” and Japan, with close to half a million dancers, has more total hula dancers than all of Hawaii.
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Auwe.
“Oh yes, hula is a multi-million dollar business in Japan. It is huge,” says Kumu Hula Blaine Kamalani Kia, who has taught the dance there on and off for the past 15 years. Exposed to hula through classic films like “Waikiki Wedding” and “Blue Hawaii,” Japanese women were initially attracted to Hollywood’s glamorized version of the dance. But hula really took off about 20 years ago, when the bored housewives of busy Japanese executives discovered its social value.
“They wanted to stay active, get out of the house. So it literally became a hobby for them,” says Kia. “They had no idea it was a deep traditional and cultural Hawaiian activity.” Much of the early hula taught in Japan was a watered-down version of the art – a cross between some basic hula moves and what they’d seen on TV.
The recent boom, fueled by the advent of three major Japanese hula magazines in the past five years, has opened the door for local kumu hula to travel abroad and teach tradition along with the dance. But it’s also created a feeding frenzy for those looking to make some serious cash. Hundreds of local hula teachers now put on pricey clinics in Japan, and dozens make a killing off flying Japanese to Hawaii for lessons.
Kia says, “If you’re teaching in Japan, you’re either doing it for the love of our culture, or you’re doing it for the money. And let me say, there is a lot of money to be made.”
- Jacy L. Youn
SEED MONEY
After real estate investor Jay H. Shidler donated $25 million to the College of Business at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, most people expected him to take a keen interest in the college’s success. But in the college’s landscaping? Indeed. Shidler invested $300,000 to renovate the gardens at University Avenue and Maile Way complex.
Shidler says the garden renovation, which includes relocating and adding trees, new pathways and lush native foliage such as ti plants and lauae ferns, improves the property “from a Class B to a Class A-minus.” Repositioning and improving buildings is, of course, something that The Shidler Group, a commercial real estate firm, does so well. But the company’s founder and managing partner admits a personal stake.
“That’s not my name on the building, that’s my ego on the building,” Shidler says with a laugh. He spends “10 to 20 minutes every couple of days” walking through the project. He quotes an old saying, “You may not get what you expect, but you get what you inspect.”
Marketing professor Dana Alden loves what he sees each day at work. “The area has gone from a building with plants around it … to a piece of art,” Alden says. “It puts you in a smiling mood.”
That means Shidler’s plan is working. He hopes his donation will help in many ways, from attracting good students to maintaining great professors. “If the product is education and the customers are the students, the buildings are the box the product comes in. You want [the buildings] to have the same level of integrity and excellence that you hope your program will have.”
- Jolyn Okimoto Rosa
OH WHAT A FEELING, HAWAII Consumer Reports caused a stir with its 2007 auto picks, since all 10 are Japanese made. But here in Hawaii, consumers gave Japanese car makers their seal of approval long ago. Toyota alone has more market share than the combined share of U.S. car makers on the most recent Hawaii Top 10 new car/truck sales list. And two of the Big Three U.S. automakers, Chrysler and GMC, didn’t even make our Top 10 list. |
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| Top Car/Truck Sales* Hawaii | Top Car/Truck Sales* U.S. | ||||
| Toyota | 29% | Ford | 14% | ||
| Nissan | 11% | Chevrolet | 13% | ||
| Honda | 11% | Toyota/Scion | 13% | ||
| Ford | 9% | Honda | 8% | ||
| Chevrolet | 6% | Dodge | 7% | ||
| Mazda | 4% | Nissan | 6% | ||
| Dodge | 4% | Chrysler | 4% | ||
| Lexus | 3% | Hyundai | 3% | ||
| Mercedes | 2% | Jeep | 3% | ||
| Kia | 2% | GMC | 3% | ||
| U.S. Auto Makers Market Share** | |||||
| Hawaii | 27% | ||||
| U.S. | 50% | ||||
| *The car sales are from the third quarter of 2006, the most recent available. **The market share numbers are for the first three quarters of 2006. Source: Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association |
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HEALTHY GROWTH
Kokua Market, Oahu’s only cooperative natural grocery store, has been in business for nearly 40 years. It’s always carried a wide variety of natural and organic fare, but it wasn’t until a couple of months ago that you could get a hot meal there.
Last April, Kokua Market held its Grand Reopening Celebration and unveiled a brand-new deli, replete with a self-service organic salad bar and a hot food bar featuring both vegetarian and natural meat entrées. The new deli was part of a $700,000 expansion, which also increased Kokua’s sales floor area 30 percent, from 2,300 square feet to 3,000 square feet.
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 photo: courtesy of Kokua Market |
According to Kokua’s general manager, Brad Salmon, the expansion has been a long time coming. But, as it turns out, with natural and organic mega-retailer Whole Foods Market set to open a store in Honolulu in 2009, Kokua’s long-awaited project is also very timely.
“Our most glaring weak spot had always been that we didn’t have a prepared foods department. It’s something that we wanted to do for a very long time,” says Salmon. “It just so happens that Whole Foods’ entry into the market coincides with that. But it [the expansion] puts us in a stronger position for sure to stand against a big competitor like that.”
The little market that could may be growing a little more next year, too. If things go as planned, Salmon hopes to break ground on Kokua’s second phase of expansion, which would add an additional 1,000 square feet to 1,200 square feet of retail space. “That will give us more than 4,000 square feet and give us the opportunity to offer a pretty good mix of products,” says Salmon.
- David K. Choo
 Hawaii Business defines often-spoken words, new and old, to help you make sense of what's being said. |
CAVE PEOPLE: Short for Citizens Against Virtually Everything, it’s akin to the term NIMBY (Not in My Backyard) often used to refer to people opposing development projects in their neighborhood. But CAVE people oppose everything, everywhere. This term can also be used for surly people who give only negative feedback. Coworker1: I gave them 10 simple suggestions to improve company morale. They hated them all. Coworker2: Forget them. CAVE people. -Scott Radway |
BRINGING BOWLING BACK
Glenn Uyeda fondly remembers the lazy summer days when his parents would take him and his brother to bowl in Waialae. After one such outing, Glenn remembers his brother, Gregg, then just 7, scribbling in a little notebook that one day, one day, he would own a bowling alley.
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| photo: istock |
“Now, it’s coming to fruition,” says Glenn, 45; his brother Gregg is now 43.
The Uyeda brothers bought the Aiea Bowl in March of last year and have since spent nine months and hundreds of thousands of dollars on renovating the lanes and building out a new restaurant. They spent $450,000 on the new scoring system alone. Glenn, a chef by trade, says adding to the attraction, the restaurant serves an ono mix of local foods and upscale dishes, and popular pastries and cakes, like his lemon drop crunch cake.
Since opening this year, Glenn says they have had steady growth in new bowlers, particularly among children. The venue is also carving out a niche for family events and corporate getaways. In late March, they launched Moonlight Mondays for young professionals, when they turn down the lights, bring in a DJ, and shoot splashy videos over plasma screens. After one week, there was a waiting list to get a lane at that weekly event.
Glenn says between the restaurant, the entertainment and the renovations, Aiea Bowl can stem the steady decrease in bowling popularity. He says the sport is just as fun as it was when he and his brother were kids – it just needed to be updated. Glenn adds that unlike most sports, people of all skill levels can bowl together and have fun. It’s just about friends and family getting together.
Just ask his 7-year-old brother.
- Scott Radway
THE EXECUTIVE PLAYBOOK
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From time to time, Hawaii Business checks in with local leaders to see what’s on their reading and play lists. This month, we peek inside the collection of Honolulu’s singing mayor, Mufi Hannemann. Not surprisingly, his musical tastes favor smooth and silky ballads … perfect for singing along to.
He’s listening to …
Kaukahi - Life in the Islands
Louis Armstrong - What a Wonderful World
Brenda Russell - You Can’t Hide Your Heart from Me
Michael Buble - Sway
Temptations - Just My Imagination
He’s reading ...
• The New American Story by Bill Bradley, because “he’s one of the most thoughtful public servants ... and a dear friend.”
• Amazing Grace by Eric Metaxas, because “William Wilberforce’s life-long mission is a model of perseverance and dedication.”
• The World is Flat [Updated and expanded edition] by Thomas Friedman, because “I made it required reading for my cabinet when it first came out and am curious to see what he’s added.”
• Flight Capital by David Heenan, because “I need to keep my streak alive of reading all of David’s books so he’ll keep voting for me.”
• Conference Classics - Hope Faith Love and Courage by Thomas Monson, because “spiritual messages are always a part of me.”
FEAR OF FLYING?
50 The number of fatalities, nationwide, in plane crashes in 2006. Those deaths were the result of two plane crashes.
163 The number of fatalities from auto accidents in Hawaii in 2006. Those deaths were from 146 crashes.
Source: National Transportation Safety Board, Hawaii Department of Transportation
REAL ESTATE: UP TOWN
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1415 Punahou St. Bedrooms: Two |
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Through much of 2006 and the first quarter of 2007, Oahu’s residential real estate market trended toward slower overall sales but higher prices. According to the Honolulu Board of Realtors, in February 2007, the length of time a property was on the market increased to 70 days for single-family homes and 59 days for condominiums. During the same period last year, time on the market was 42 days and 31 days, respectively. In February 2004, the indicator was down to just 23 days and 34 days.
One segment of the market that is as robust as ever is “town” (Liliha to Hawaii Kai) condominiums under $300,000. The inventory of these fee-simple, entry-level properties – featuring two bedrooms, one bathroom, a parking space and a washer/dryer – is limited, so they tend to move quickly. With interest rates holding steady and prices creeping up, first-time home buyers who want to stay within the city aren’t hesitating.
In the past six months, out of the 18 listings of condos in this category, 15 sold and three are in escrow. Several of the units were scooped up in a little more than a week.
-David K. Choo
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