There'’s exhaustion
at the end of the
Rainbow Collection

THE Rainbow Collection jewelry store will close around the end of the month after 25 years in business.

Karla Brom, a jewelry designer, established the store in 1979 in Ala Moana Center. The store moved a couple times and the business expanded to Japan, then later downsized and wound up back at Ala Moana, between California Pizza Kitchen and Jackie's Kitchen.

Brom brought in investor, partner and Chief Executive Mary Lou Osmond and added "The" to the store's name five years ago in a business reorganization following a divorce.

"We're all just very tired of seven-days-a-week. It's just draining," Osmond said. "And Karla has done it for 25 years."

Brom and the Osmonds are ready to get out of retailing.

"We've been up here full-time since May of last year and haven't been to the beach once," said Richard Osmond, Mary Lou's husband and a company vendor.

The Osmonds will focus on their wholesale gem business based in Sydney, Australia, from whence Richard's accent clearly originates. Brom will continue to design jewelry, according to publicist Mona Wood.

"We're not sure what our last day will be," said Mary Lou. It could be the end of the month but they "might drift over another week" to tidy up and have a party, said Richard. Other employers are interested in hiring the seven staffers.

Jewelry retailers, CPK and Jackie's Kitchen are interested in taking over the space, or a part of it. The Rainbow Collection has two years left on its lease.

New TV Web sites coming

Really.

OK that's the same message that's been posted at www.khon.com for two years, but the builders have been contracted.

Part of the delay was caused by notorious cybersquatter Henry Chan, who had registered www.khon2.com as his own site. An international arbiter of such cases ruled July 14 that the domain name belongs to the station.

StarrTech Interactive, a division of Starr Seigle Communications Inc., is preparing two Web sites, one for KHON and an updated site for sister-station KGMB at www.kgmb9.com. There is no firm launch date for the sites.

Former Pacific Business News Editor Gina Mangieri has been named interactive news director, responsible for content on both sites.

She'll be a third news director, collaborating with Dan Dennison at KHON 2 and Tauna Lange at KGMB 9, said Rick Blangiardi, Hawaii market senior vice president for Emmis Communications Corp., which owns both stations.

The old KHON site provided amusement to many a news junkie.

News stories were archived pretty much the way they appeared on the TelePrompTer, complete with on-camera instructions -- such as "nod your head" -- scripted anchor questions, reporter replies and other embarrassments.

"The first thing I did was shut it down. What we were doing, it was detrimental," Blangiardi said.