APEC slows cars, sales

A maddening morning commute, a peaceful protest and several midlevel meetings ushered in the first day of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit Tuesday, kicking off the largest international event Hawaii has ever hosted.

The Hawai'i Convention Center was the focal point of the action, but all the activity didn't extend to many of the small businesses in the neighborhood who waited in vain for that big economic bump APEC boosters have been promising.

With Tuesday's first official APEC meetings at the center, Atkinson Drive and Kapiolani Boulevard were shut down, and traffic on Kalakaua Avenue was restricted, the first of many street shutdowns tied to the summit. The blockades were just around the center but rippled across town, not only for businesses, but also for morning commuters.

East Oahu drivers initially clogged H-1 freeway and Waialae Avenue while trying to avoid Kapiolani Boulevard, but city officials said the resulting jam was about what they expected.

The APEC summit continues today with more trade and finance meetings; the APEC Business Advisory Council Conference, a Waikiki gathering of private business representatives who will make recommendations on the business sector's priorities and concerns; the APEC Concluding Senior Officials Meeting, comprised of officials who will guide meetings of APEC ministers and economic leaders; the Asia-Pacific Business Symposium, a gathering of Hawaii business, government and community leaders and international business leaders to discuss overseas investment, green growth strategies, regional energy challenges and other issues; and the APEC Finance Deputies Meeting, which will bring together deputy finance ministers in advance of Thursday's Finance Ministerial Meeting.

While inside the convention center Tuesday, government officials talked trade and finance, and businesses nearby were wishing for a little economic action of their own. Several across Atkinson Drive brought in extra workers and supplies for an expected boom in sales that has yet to materialize.

Keone Gaspar, who owns the Blazin Steaks restaurant on Atkinson, doubled up on staff and brought in more food, hoping for a 100 percent increase in sales this week.

Instead, with roadblocks surrounding his eatery, Gaspar discovered that would-be customers from the convention center would have to walk makai down one side of Atkinson, cross the street, then walk back mauka on the other side to get to Blazin Steaks.

"There's no vehicular traffic at all, and absolutely there's less foot traffic," Gaspar said. "All the roads are blocked off."

Marilyn Prestler normally would have seen eight customers at the Kapiolani Super Cuts Tuesday morning but had cut only one head of hair by lunch time.

"It's ground to a halt," Prestler said. "It's really slow."

So Prestler stood outside the Super Cuts on Tuesday talking to anyone walking by to say, "'If you need a haircut, come on in.'"

Across Waikiki, pedestrian and vehicle traffic seemed to flow smoothly, said Jim Tollefson, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii who lives on Hobron Lane.

On Monday and Tuesday "vehicle traffic and foot traffic was a little lighter than normal," Tollefson said. He had not heard from businesses about how sales were doing in APEC's first days.

But at Hula Grill and Duke's at Waikiki restaurants in the Oceanfront at the Outrigger Waikiki, "It wasn't 'Wow, it's busy' and it wasn't 'Wow, it's slow,'" said Chris Colgate, the restaurants' Oahu regional manager.

"I'm going to call it neutral," Colgate said. "We haven't really seen an increase in business."

Colgate is also chairman of the board of the Hawaii Restaurant Association but did not have a handle on how other Waikiki restaurants are doing in the opening days of APEC.

“By the time we get to Thursday, Friday, Saturday, hopefully we’ll see an influx of more business,” Colgate said.

ABC Stores' 38 Waikiki locations are also "a little softer these first couple of days," president and CEO Paul Kosasa said. ABC managers brought in extra merchandise to have enough on hand "because of possible unanticipated security measures," he said.

"It's not a surprise that it's (business) a little off," Kosasa said. "But it's a little early yet."

A spokeswoman for the APEC Host Committee said the organization has received no complaints from businesses about drops in sales.

The first day of meetings also brought out the week's first anti-APEC protesters.

About 70 people, including members of Hawaii Peace & Justice and World Can't Wait, marched from Stadium Park in Moiliili to the convention center, calling for justice for Kollin Elderts, who was shot and killed early Saturday in a Waikiki McDonald's allegedly by an off-duty federal agent in town for APEC.

Charges of second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony against Special Agent Christopher Deedy brought unwanted national attention to Hawaii on the eve of APEC. Police said Deedy, 27, shot and killed Elderts, 23, during a confrontation at the 24-hour fast-food outlet at about 2:44 a.m. Saturday.

"We're calling for justice for Kollin Elderts," march organizer Carolyn Hadfield said. "All of the facts about the case are being covered up and concealed by the Honolulu Police Department, the U.S. State Department and won't be revealed until after APEC."