Local Motion's flagship up for sale

The company says it wants to shift to several smaller stores and create a new Honolulu base

In a shift of retail strategy, Local Motion Inc.'s flagship store on Kalakaua Avenue is on the market for $16.8 million.

The company said it is planning to open multiple smaller stores throughout Waikiki to increase its presence, and to create a new Honolulu flagship store to better serve local customers.

Its approximately 10,000-square-foot standalone store at 1950 Kalakaua Ave. features a sleek, glass exterior and two levels of retail space.

Colliers Monroe Friedlander is the listing agent for the building.

Local Motion is taking advantage of good market conditions, according to a press release issued yesterday, given that Waikiki's vacancy rate is projected to fall below 5 percent by the end of the year.

Tim Mock, general manager of Local Motion, said: "We've enjoyed being in this location and it has been profitable. We are always looking for ways to expand and keep our leadership in the marketplace."

The listing for the Local Motion flagship store comes with a two-year leaseback to Local Motion. Brew Moon's lease of the second-floor cafe and lanai expires in 2008.

Built in 1998, Local Motion in Waikiki was custom designed by Honolulu firm Peter Vincent & Associates.

The upstairs cafe and lanai -- previously leased to Surfer's Cafe -- were featured on MTV's "Real World Hawaii" series in 1999.

Tokyo-based Minami Corp. bought Local Motion in 1991 from founder Robert Burns, who started Local Motion in 1977.

Several Local Motion stores have opened and closed before. In 2002, a store closed in Iwilei, while two outlets on Kalakaua Avenue were shuttered the day before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Local Motion currently has five stores on Oahu and three on Maui.

Besides the Waikiki flagship store, Local Motion is at Koko Marina Shopping Center, Windward Mall and Waikele. Its newest store opened last year at Pearlridge Center's Uptown II.