The new Wal-Mart

Mitchell Dwyer writes in Chalkdust: "That new Wal-Mart on Ke`eaumoku is an atrocity" and he wonders if anyone else feels that way.

Have no fear, Mitch. You aren't alone. I have no complaints about Wal-Mart opening there but it is such a huge, hideous building. I mean that ugly brown thing next to it (even if smaller) is no great treat to the eye, either, but Wal-Mart gets the record, I think, for the ugliest retail establishment in town.

(We won't discuss residential buildings.) :)

Comments

I'll try not to pass judgement 'til opening day, but it doesn't look promising. Even with what would otherwise be a generous 'setback,' the sheer mass of the retail space still makes it seem to loom directly over the street. What little 'Hawaiian sense of place' stylings are apparent don't add up to much, at least not yet.

It does occur to me, though, that it looks a lot like the new Ward Stadium 16 building looked like when it was going up. I was convinced that was going to be a Borg Cube of Ugliness. I'm not exactly sure if anyone would call that theater complex "attractive," but for what it is, it's not bad.

Like Panther says, though, that area of urban Honolulu isn't known for its natural beauty anyway. Some of the surrounding buildings do more to detract from the apparent vitality and energy of the area than the new Wal-Mart/Sam's Club complex. The new Penthouse Club up the street? Now that's hideous.

And pretty or not, traffic complications or not, I sure look forward to shopping there. I'll just... I don't know, walk. Heh.

People will flock to this store no matter what it looks like. Just the name alone is enough to siphon regular shoppers away from the usual places in Ala Moana Shopping center, Daiei and other surrounding businesses.

The low prices on goods will be enough to attract me and many others to this retail giant.

Walmart's coming to the central urban core is long overdue.

That's right, people WILL come no matter what it looks like, so why wouldn't Wal-Mart be a good neighbor and make it look good? Ke`eaumoku is one of those rare streets that's quite driver-friendly AND quite pedestrian-friendly (at least, the Diamond-Head side of the street is pedestrian-friendly). Wal-Mart has a chance to really open up that area and make it pulse with positive activity, but with that long stretch of wall (rather than entrances, windows, and maybe even picnic tables), it basically CLOSES that side of the street. It sucks.

I haven't seen it, but that description Mitchell gives sounds like Circuit City and Toys R Us out here in Pearlridge. Not a window in sight. I wish these corporate guys would think about aesthetics as well as profits.

Keeaumoku is driver friendly? Until they ban street parking, it's a disaster most of the time.

And let's not be too quick to judge. From what I recall from the community presentations (and this detailed Pacific Business News article), there will be pedestrian ameneties along the Keeaumoku side, like small shops and tables.

Toys R Us in Pearlridge is a good example, Link. I really don't think we're getting that here.

Indeed, if you think it's ugly now, you should've seen the 2000 plans (attempt number one at taking that lot) that really cheesed off the neighborhood board. Yet, even then the plans called for a "territorial Hawaii" theme with landscaping and monkeypod and palm trees. What they're building now does have setback, plus what might be a courtyard or something between the parking and retail space.

Considering they didn't have to do anything (our city's weird zoning laws meant they could move forward with almost no review), Wal-Mart is contributing quite a lot. Widening the surrounding streets, realigning and adding signals to intersections, screening service docks, even moving the overhead powerlines lines along Keeaumoku underground (one of the notable eyesores that was always there).

The land on which the Walmart/Sam's Club sits has always been commercial. For many years there were a myriad of small businesses there that were displaced after former Mayor Frank Fasi sold a street in the block to the Japanese developer that was going to put something else there.

That developer as I vaguely recall, got all of the tenant businesses to move out and leveled the entire 10 acre super block before the Japanese economy tanked in the early 1990s... after everything was gone, the land laid fallow for 15+ years.

Finally we have something there that I think will greatly enhance the commercial district the place was zone for. I look forward to the opening of Walmart and Sam's Club.

Wal-Mart, such a family oriented store. How funny that the Keeamoku location is surrounded by strip clubs, hostess bars and massage parlors. That and there's going to be a memorial or something set up on the Wal-Mart property to satisfy the descendants of those human remains that they found on site last year.

Atrocity or not, this Wal-Mart will be an interesting site. And personally, I got tired of seeing an empty field. A park would have been better but considering the other "business" establishments around that place maybe something big with a lot of lights and their own security would be the best thing after all.

My hope is that once the Walmart/Sam's Club opens it will create a demand for more commercial venues to support the family type of consumer... perhaps to the point where some of the landowners who lease to the bars and strip clubs have some kind of incentive to develop their properties with new kinds of buildings such as offices or other types of retail or restaurants.

I don't know macpro, those places have been there for a long time and all Wal-Mart is bringing is more customers for them. I can see it now - wife tells husband they need to go to Wal-Mart to go shopping, he says fine but just gives her the credit card in the parking lot and tells her he'll be waiting in a bar nearby watching the Lakers game and that she should just call him when she's done and he'll meet her back in the lot.

So hubby goes into New Office which is right across Makaloa Street and spends 10 bucks on beers and 40 bucks on a hostess while he's waiting for his wife to get done shopping. His wife calls and he walks back in time to help her unload her wagon and nobody is the wiser...

Damn, this could be the most popular Wal-Mart in the state if you ask me.

From today's Star-Bulletin, an article on the vendors who'll be shacking up with Wal-Mart on the superblock:

• L&L Hawaiian Barbecue
• Golden Coin Bake Shop and Restaurant
• Hanazen (a Japanese takeout restaurant)
• Coldstone Creamery
• Starbucks/Jamba Juice
• Supercuts

I can't wait for the new Walmart, it's much closer to my home and will make for easier shopping. Walmart is extremely low-cost products when compared to Ala Moan in large, though Daiei, Kmart, and surrounding business will suffer.

What can you do?

>>Sin Wrote: "I can see it now - wife tells husband they need to go to Wal-Mart to go shopping, he says fine but just gives her the credit card in the parking lot and tells her he'll be waiting in a bar"

LOL!

Guys who live in Kunia and Mililani are going to try and convince their wife/girlfriend to go shopping at the Keeaumoku Walmart (instead of their hometown location), just because "it's bigger and better". lol

Seriously, I'm looking forward to the new Walmart/Sam's Club duplex. It's near my house, and their prices, product selection and store operations can't be beat.

No doubt, they'll dip into neighboring businesses profits, but if done right, they could also be an asset to surrounding businesses by bringing in "collateral shoppers".

Daiei, for one, can keep their existing shoppers (and draw more from Walmart) by "niche marketing". Primarily their asian demographic. Walmart may have some of everything, but Daiei should still fare well with the Asian community (which is sizeable in that area) by expanding and carrying all the asian imported foods and goods that Walmart/Sam's doesn't. Other businesses in the area should use this same strategy, because they just can't compete against this giant in the almighty "price wars".

As for zoning, I thought Rock-Za (the strip bar) was going to get booted as soon as the Convention Center went up. Didn't happen. So it's likely all the hostess/strip bars on Keeaumoku will co-exist with Walmart. Gosh that sounds weird. lol

That'd be funny if you're Walmart receipt has coupons printed on the back for "20% OFF COVER at PENTHOUSE" and "BUY ONE GET ONE FREE DRINK at CENTERFOLDS".
LOL!

Hi
We live in New Zealand and have our vacation in Honolulu each year.
can someone tell us when the new Wal mart store opens?
Rosemary Capill

The Ke'eamoku Wal-Mart will have it's soft opening on Oct. 13, 2004 & the grand opening will be on Oct. 30, 2004. It'll be great!

Can't wait. The time is near!

I heard a lot about Wal-Mart. Can any one tell how they sell things cheaper then their competitors???

As with the other, old Wal-Mart topic here at HawaiiStories.com, I'm going to close this to further comments. For more current discussion of the new Wal-Mart store in Honolulu, I encourage everyone to join the conversation at HawaiiThreads.com, our sister site. Just do a search for "Walmart" and you'll find a multitude of opinions - share yours!

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