‘Heartsick’ Hungry Ear will move out of Kailua

Lease prices are driving local retail institution Hungry Ear Records from Kai­lua to Hono­lulu.

"We are heartsick to have to move what has always been our flagship store," said co-owner Ward Yama­shita in a statement. Rising rents and "the changing profile of Kai­lua make it impossible to stay in our current location."

Development of mainland retail behemoths Whole Foods and Target in Kai­lua, as well as the constant presence of high-spending visitors from Japan, mean commercial rents are going up.

Yamashita and business partner Dennie Chong tried to find nearby lease rent cheaper than that being sought by the landlord, to no avail, each told TheBuzz.

"For the rent they wanted here, we were able to find something for less, that was larger and offered validated parking," Chong said.

The new digs will be in University Square at 2615 S. King St., Suite A-100. It is at the corner of King and University Avenue, in the same small retail complex as Uyeda Shoe Store.

That recording on vinyl has seen a resurgence has paid off for the small retailer, and being amid a larger population base and close to trend-focused university students might pay off even better.

"New bands nowadays are releasing albums on vinyl," said Yama­shita, naming an eclectic range of artists from the Arctic Monkeys to Lady Gaga.

Additionally, noted jazz label Blue Note Records is celebrating its 75th anniversary by releasing five reissued classic albums each month. Classic rockers including Led Zeppelin and Kiss also are reissuing vinyl, he said.

To answer the "Yeah, but where do I find a turntable?" question, the store sells a range of them, from $100 up to $300.

Hungry Ear will wind down its Kai­lua inventory with a "Moving to Town" sale beginning Monday and running through its last day in Kai­lua, July 19, 35 years to the month since the store opened, Chong said.

Chong and Yamashita plan a soft opening in the new location Aug. 1, after which store hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. "Once we’re up and running," the store may be open daily.

In between the ending and the new beginning, Yama­shita and Chong will be at the Third Annual Hawaii Record Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 27 at McKinley High School Cafeteria. Hungry Ear and other vendors from around the islands will buy, sell and trade vinyl records, CDs, cassettes and music memorabilia.

Early admission at 9 a.m. costs $10, while admission at 10 a.m. costs $5.

The move will be a further evolution of the Hungry Ear legacy.

In the early 1990s it had stores in Hono­lulu and Wahiawa, as well as the flagship Kai­lua store founded by Luke Yama­shiro and friends Dennis Chun and Reyn­old Kong.

The location at 418 Kuu­lei Road first was home for a store called Vinyl Donut and then Bullseye, Yama­shita said, "and when that went out of business, they opened Hungry Ear." Yama­shiro had been an employee of "both previous stores," Yama­shita said.

The store sold music on vinyl and subsequent media platforms through good and bad economic times, through four store locations and six U.S. presidents, the partners noted.

"We all grew up in this store," Chong said. "Luke was a surrogate father or older brother to most of us and was a fount of musical knowledge for all of the community." Yama­shita met his wife, Mary, at the store in 1985.

Upon Yamashiro’s death his widow, Michelle, ran the business until 2008 when Chong and Yama­shita, both of whom had worked for Yama­shiro in previous years, assumed ownership.

Separately, Coconut Grove Music, of which Yama­shiro was a co-founder, was willed to other family members. The music store, no longer connected to Hungry Ear, relocated in March to the second floor of the Hawaiian Water Sports building at 167 Hama­kua Drive.

Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.