Hauula to get
Tamura’s, Magoo’s
The long-dormant Hauula Kai Shopping Center on the Windward coast of Oahu between Laie and Kaaawa should see new life by the end of the year.
"Tamura's will be a welcome asset to the community, not just to Hauula, but from Kaaawa to Kahuku," said Creighton Mattoon, a member of the Koolauloa Neighborhood Board, which encompasses Hauula. Mattoon said other tenants at the shopping center may include a call center and a health clinic.
Tamura's decision to anchor the center, combined with Hawaii's recovering economy and increased residential growth in the area, has led to the revitalization of Hauula Kai, Mattoon said.
At one time, Hauula Kai was a thriving shopping center with a market, drug store and bakery, but after Lindy's grocery pulled out several years ago, business began to decline, he said.
"We have a post office, thrift shop, restaurant and social agency and that's about it," Mattoon said. "The hope is that Tamura's will now inspire other entities to fill the shopping center and help the community grow."
The decision to locate in Hauula was natural for Tamura's since so many of the retailer's Wahiawa customers come from the area, said Glenn Tamura, whose family operates Tamura's, Tamura's Kitchen and Tamura's Wholesale in Wahiawa, and Tamura's Fine Wines in Kaimuki.
"The community has been asking us to come there for a long time," Tamura said. The 15,000-square-foot store will anchor the center by taking the spot once occupied by his friend Tyler Ching of Lindy's grocery.
It will be the only large grocery in the area, outside of the Foodland in Laie, he said.
"He (Ching) asked if we wanted to go into that area when he closed," Tamura said. "But we weren't ready then. Now we've grown and we have enough management people on staff to make it work."
Tamura, whose family has been in the grocery business in Hawaii for about a century, said the new store will provide 50 to 60 full- and part-time jobs for residents. Applications are available at the Wahiawa store.
Grocery store traffic will be a welcome addition for other Hauula Kai Shopping Center businesses, said Sheldon Lau, who along with partner Edward Kam II has obtained a licensing agreement to operate a Magoo's Pizza in the center.
The pizza joint, which will occupy 1,500 square feet in the center, is tentatively set to open Dec. 12 with a limited takeout and delivery menu. Pizza will be the only item on the menu initially, but other Magoo's menu items likely will be added in the future, Lau said.
"The area has a lot of potential for development and growth from Kaaawa to Kahuku," Lau said. "There is increased construction, tourism and residential growth, but there are few retail outlets or vendors that sell food so we thought it would be a great location."