Waikiki DFS Galleria uses local art to connect with patrons, community

Shoppers can buy a bottle of designer perfume at thousands of stores and online sites worldwide, but only at the Waikiki DFS Galleria can they buy two bottles and have one painted with a free custom design by local Hawaii artist Frank Dumlao.

Since Dumlao can paint only 15 bottles a night, this partnership and others with local artists is less about selling and more about the art of the deal for Waikiki DFS Galleria.

"The win isn’t in the bottles we sell; it’s in the customers sharing the story of what it was like to visit us," said David Charles, managing director of DFS Hawaii. "You can go to Amazon and pick a $100 bottle of fragrance, but there’s no feeling behind it. How do you make buying the bottle something that you want to do in-store rather than online?"

Brick-and-mortar retailers across the nation are struggling to remain relevant in an ever-shrinking, faster-paced universe. Changing customer expectations and the growth of online and social media have been disastrous for some businesses: Just ask one of the 10,700 Borders employees who found themselves out of a job last year when the bookstore failed to adapt to the rapidly changing book industry, electronic reader revolution and turbulent economy.

"People shop for convenience, so when you go to brick-and-mortar, it’s about entertainment," said Waikiki-based retail analyst Stephany Sofos. "People are looking to have an experience — retail therapy, if you will. They want something that connects them to where they are. Tourists and locals alike want to feel like they are in Hawaii when they shop here. Local flair, music, artwork — it all makes a difference."

That’s true, said Korean honeymooners Yoona Lim and Hong Cheol Baek, who bought one of Dumlao’s hand-painted bottles Wednesday night so that they could share their Hawaii experience with friends and relatives back home.

"It’s a special present for someone," Lim said. "We like the Hawaiian painting. It’s a beautiful memory of Hawaii."

In this way, DFS Galleria Waikiki is using art to connect with the 15,000 customers who walk through their stores daily. While DFS mostly caters to tourists, local residents can shop the first two floors of the Galleria tax-free.

Patrons can see how serious DFS Hawaii is about using art to build a bridge to its customers and the community by the sheer scope of its efforts. Sergio Garzon, a printmaker from Colombia living in Hawaii, and a team of other local artists have turned DFS’ temporary construction facade on Kalakaua Avenue into a dramatic, 24-foot-tall series of black and white canvasses highlighting island themes. The panels, which will be up until January, are a gigantic re-creation of the Hono­lulu Printmakers project "Print Big," which involved 12 solo artists and artist teams who carved 8-foot-long woodcuts and printed them with a pavement roller in the driveway of the Hono­lulu Museum of Art School.

Exterior storefront windows also highlight fashion designs of University of Hawaii students. Students from the UH Apparel Product Design Merchandising were asked to create an original dress to coordinate with select handbags for sale in the store.

Inside, two- and three-dimensional art transforms luxury interior displays into an urban design experience. DFS hired local artist Jasmine Christian to create contemporary illustrations of famous Hawaii buildings, including the Moana Surfrider, Iolani Palace, Aloha Tower, Royal Hawaiian and Wo Fat Building. Christian’s work is incorporated in the store’s visual display for its fall campaign, "How Do I Look?" Staff photography also is part of a first-floor overhead art display.

"We want to encourage creativity," Charles said.

For shoppers it’s like spending an afternoon in the city, shopping, visiting museums and perusing the fashion catwalk. Every Sunday, kids can get into the act by using chocolate to make their own edible art creations at the Little Chef event from 6 to 8 p.m. in the food hall. And on Beauty After Dark evenings, shoppers can sip champagne and groove to DJ music while they learn how to turn themselves into works of art with a complimentary makeover and photo keepsake.

"Travel is a state of mind," said Samuel Muscarella, general manager of DFS Galleria. "We want to make shopping world-class. We want to make it personal. We are committed to finding unique ways to create an exclusive experience."

Response from shoppers has been strong, said Noriko Harimoto, consumer marketing manager at DFS Hawaii.

"Many customers stop to take photos," Harimoto said. "The store experience becomes part of their memory of Hawaii."

Focusing on arts and culture is part of the whole renaissance of Waikiki, said John Dougherty Sr., coordinator of DFS Hawaii’s visual department.

"DFS has changed over the years," Dougherty said. "It’s evolved very deeply. There’s a great commitment to the arts, and it’s getting stronger and stronger."

Art attracts people and gives back to the community at the same time, he said.

Garzon, whose work is displayed inside and outside the Galleria, said art has transformed the Waikiki DFS Galleria into a landmark.

"It’s so cool that our work is out on the street. I hear people say, ‘Meet me by the fish,’ and I say, ‘Yeah, that’s my fish,’" Garzon said.

By raising awareness of local art, DFS is giving back to the community and to its patrons, he said.

"This project allows people to see things that they normally wouldn’t see and to learn about Hawaii," Garzon said. "It’s also brought the local art community out."

He and other participating artists also have seen business grow as a result of their exposure at DFS.

"I’ve gotten enormous momentum," the 27-year-old artist said. "I want to keep riding the wave."

Dover Abrams, a Hawaii island farmer and artist, also has gained, Garzon said.

"He did blocks for the Print Big event," he said. "After that he went home and went crazy with his art. He’s more connected to the land. The DFS opportunity has given him even more confidence and support."

Dumlao, who has been painting fragrance bottles since April, said he enjoys showing shoppers the decorative art technique that he perfected as a teacher at Ben Franklin Crafts stores.

"They enjoy watching and I enjoy sharing," he said.

DFS even has given college students a chance to shine. UH student Jenna Sato, a 23-year-old who grew up in Kaimuki, designed a little black dress for DFS to display in their exterior windows.

"It’s a chance of a lifetime," Sato said. "It’s been fun watching the tourists walk by the dress and read my biography."

While design students have worked with Kahala Mall and Neiman Marcus in the past, DFS has provided the biggest career steppingstone this year, she said.

"It’s really good to put on a résumé," said the senior, who eventually hopes to work for the Alice & Olivia label. "This was just a really amazing experience. I can’t wait to see what they do next."