Wedding Ring Shop
is moving to its
own new building

Being in Hawaii's largest retail shopping complex has been "a very positive experience," said owner Michael Han.

Alongside internationally known jewelry retailers within Ala Moana, the store's experience has been strong enough that the company bought land at Kapiolani Boulevard and Pensacola Street two years ago for its expansion plans.

From its current 700 square feet, the shop will move into a three-story, 7,200-square-foot building designed by architect Peter Vincent.

"The entry lobby holds a concierge station where customers are greeted," Vincent said. "The grand staircase makes quite an impression for what promises to be a symbolic experience for clients."

In the second-floor showroom, "the feeling this creates is a private vault, the focus is on client comfort, with private consultation areas, a beverage bar and an atmosphere that is anything but rushed," he said.

Office space and a third-floor roof lanai for special events will top the new building, for which ground has yet to be broken. Until then, a used car operation will remain on the site.

The new store will be five times larger, have double the staff and is to open next spring.

The current space at Ala Moana will be vacated at the end of July, preceded by a departure sale for which Han plans to bring in a wide variety of different stones, according to publicist Barbara Pleadwell.

The store will then relocate to temporary space on the fourth floor of 1221 Kapiolani Blvd., best known as the Blackfield Building.