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Heart attack
claims Hawaii retailer
Jan Berman

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By Russ Lynch
Star-Bulletin

Jan Berman died in New Mexico on Saturday doing what she loved best, promoting retailing as a great career choice for young people.

Berman, 58, suffered a heart attack last week and later died in the hospital with family members present.

She had been on a mission for Kapiolani Community College toward her goal, establishing a retailing institute that would educate youth about the rewards of retailing and showing them that retailing is a career that can lead to well-paid executive jobs.

"The legacy of her dream of a retail institute in Hawaii is definitely going to occur," said her husband Jeff, who is in Texas taking care of family affairs.

It's about showing high school kids, who don't know what they want to do the rewards they can get from going into retailing, he said yesterday.

"You don't have to have a college education for it," he said.

Jan and Jeff Berman, both fashion designers, moved to Hawaii in July 1971. They had taught at the University of Illinois and picked up teaching jobs at the University of Hawaii.

Their main occupation, however, was fashion and together they opened a boutique, Fabrications, in Kilohana Square in 1972.

The store was later moved to Kahala Mall and renamed Jeffrey Barr, one of Jeff Berman's trade names.

Jan Berman became involved in local retailers' organizations and in November 1994, she became chairwoman of Retail Merchants of Hawaii, a 250-company organization that was in the process of separating from the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.

"We have the deepest respect and admiration for Jan, always have had," said Carol Pregil, now president of RMH.

"She was at the helm with the board of directors when Retail Merchants of Hawaii separated from the Chamber," Pregil said.

"Those first few years were crucial and Jan is to be commended" for the work she did for the furtherance of retailing, Pregil said.

The retail store was closed in 1997 and Berman and her husband became retail consultants.

Berman left Retail Merchants this past April and took some time off before joining Kapiolani Community College as an instructor and "special projects coordinator," said Carol Hoshiko, dean of the business, hospitality and tourism operations at KCC.

She went to Texas to attend a retailing "summit" and went on to New Mexico to meet with KCC's partner in retailing education, an institute that has programs similar to what Berman wanted to see in Hawaii.

Funeral services are pending.