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TheBuzz
Erika Engle
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General Growth hubs to open early to capitalize on Father's Day
GENERAL GROWTH PROPERTIES' Hawaii retail hubs will open early Saturday for last-minute Father's Day shoppers.
To say there are likely more last-minute Mother's Day shoppers than Father's Day shoppers might be perceived as sexist, so TheBuzz won't even go there.
Any excuse to get the kids up and out early for shopping will be just fine, thank you.
Ala Moana Center and Victoria Ward Centers in Honolulu; Whaler's Village in Lahaina, Maui; and Prince Kuhio Plaza in Hilo on the Big Island will all open at 8 a.m. Saturday.
Closing times vary. Prince Kuhio Plaza will close at 7 p.m. while Ala Moana and Ward will close at 9 p.m. and Whaler's Village shops will close at 10 p.m.
The decision to open early was made because surveys have shown a spike in retail sales on Father's Day weekend, according to a news release.
The National Retail Federation reported that Father's Day spending last year reached more than $8 billion.
Perhaps that is because many dads get big-ticket items such as plasma TVs, big honkin' gas grills or riding lawn mowers.
However, such finery is not in everyone's budget and some dads aren't into ties or tools or rods and reels, so General Growth is also promoting its one-size-fits-all gift cards.
Cooking for dad
Shoppers who let their fingers do the walking online before heading out may decide to stay in and cook for the peckish papa of the pad.
The Victoria Ward Centers' Web site includes a banner-ad-type link to recipes from some of the complex's restaurants.
Recipes included Tequila-Lime Baked Chicken from Big City Diner; Ryan's Ginger Glazed Chicken; Penne Arrabbiata from Buca Di Beppo; Compadres Fajitas and the Kincaid's Dungeness Crab Appetizer that will also be familiar to diners at Ryan's Grill, as both are owned by Seattle-based Restaurants Unlimited Inc.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4747, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at:
eengle@starbulletin.com