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Pier 1 honcho is
a very open person
Peggy RupePier 1 Imports has hired Peggy Rupe as store manager for the company's new Pearl City outlet, which is having a grand opening this weekend.The Pearl Highlands Center location is Pier 1's third store in Hawaii, joining the outlet at Ward Village Shops on Oahu and the store on Maui. Rupe has been with Pier 1 for 22 years, spending 18 of those as a store manager. She has worked at more than a dozen of the retailer's stores in Denver, Florida and most recently, Los Angeles. This will be the fifth Pier 1 that she has opened.
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Question: What were the challenges of opening here?
Answer: I think what's unique here is the logistics of getting merchandise over here, containers from distribution centers coming across the water. It's actually gone really really well.
I've encountered great people in the process and I had a wonderful staff of great and enthusiastic people and the community is really excited.
We have hired 48 people from hundreds of applicants. We are also staffing up for holidays.
Q: What is opening a store like?
It's a very exciting process. Probably the most fun part is getting the opportunity to bring out all the employees to work for us, planning how we're going to receive merchandise in store, working with visual people from the field and the home office who help us set up the display, and training staff.
A: How are the Hawaii stores doing compared with the mainland?
Q: Well, the store that we currently have at Ward is the highest volume store in the country.
A: How is the isle retail climate this year?
Q: The two Hawaii stores' sales are definitely trending upward and we really attribute that to the housing boom here and from what I can tell a huge amount of interest in the home-furnishing industry here.
Q: Anything different about the store?
A: The store is larger format. We're one of only 12 in the country right now. We carry a product, which Pier 1 calls "special finds," which is custom ordered. It's for the larger products only -- sofas, armchairs, furniture. We'll be different in that aspect.
The store does have a limited amount of special merchandise.
After that, it's customer order, about five weeks from the mainland. They won't incur an extra shipping charge.
Q: What are some of the most popular items in Hawaii?
A: Wicker furniture is always in demand. Outdoor furniture always sells really well. Interior design business out here in Hawaii is very strong.
Many hotels and restaurants use Pier 1 as well.
