TheBuzz
TheBuzz
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Noriko’s to auction off
jewelry as business endsA rare shopping opportunity came to light via fax from McClain Auctions -- sadly not in time for yesterday's paper or to give your columnist the first crack -- but the jewelry inventory at Noriko's of Hawaii is being liquidated in advance of a going-out-of-business auction.
As of yesterday when the sell-off started at the popular tourist stop there were "Tahitian black pearls, coral, jade, gold, oh, wonderful stuff," said McClain salesman Donald Vorsino, who added the store also carries high-end designer handbags, silk ties and "some real over the top" kinds of stuff.
Today from 1 to 6 p.m. the decades-old business is open at 47-525 Kamehameha Highway to sell what's available to dealers and the public and for inspection of what will be auctioned tomorrow .
The fax lists items one might expect but also tells of "reach-in refers & freezer," a shaved ice machine, slush machine, hot dog warmer, jewelry casting and polishing equipment, a canoe and a bar code printer.
Harshing the buzz
The Rukeyser ritual for Hawaii Public Television viewers is over. KHET is pulling the plug on the Friday night rebroadcast of the CNBC-produced show.When it was initially offered to public TV stations in mid-April, CNBC restricted rebroadcast prior to midnight Eastern time, according to Ed McNulty, KHET vice president for programming.
"We just got a memo the other day stating it was midnight local time, which precluded our airing of it on Friday nights," McNulty said. Airing a 24- to 48-hour-old financial news show during the weekend doesn't make sense, McNulty said.
Fans of the finance news icon will have to watch his show on CNBC at 2:30 p.m. Fridays (Oceanic analog channel 39, digital channel 116; Craig Wireless channel 43), or find a rocket scientist-for-hire to program their VCR.
KHET will replace Rukeyser with "Egg: The Arts Show" and will continue to air its other PBS-generated news, discussion, public affairs and financial shows including Wall Street Week from which Rukeyser was "released" in early April.
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VC, AC and DC
Hawaii-based Maestro LLC has made the cut to the semifinals of a nationwide contest for venture capital.The company does business as Kool Karz, renting out a fleet of 72 electric vehicles, 54 in Waikiki and 18 in Lahaina. It quickly runs out when cruise ships are in port.
"With 152 cruise ships coming in this year," Vice President John Hurtado said, "we're looking to bring in more vehicles."
Rental rates range from $35 for an hour to $139 for 24 hours, but that's just where the business starts.
Hurtado and Maestro President Clay Vilt are working on a big deal to bring Korea-based Advanced Transportation Technologies Research & Development Co. to Hawaii for the manufacture of its electric vehicles.
"We want to expand throughout North America," Hurtado said.
The company is competing for $1 million in equity funding to pay for its expansion plans through the "Match a Million 2002" business plan contest by San-Francisco-based "Futuredex."
"We help entrepreneurs find funding," Futuredex spokeswoman Anisha Kumra said, "sort of like an online dating service."
The finalists will be announced May 10, the winner on June 6.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, 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