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The Slipper House, an original tenant at Ala Moana Center, will close at the end of May. Store owner Glenn Uejio has been trying to find jobs for his 19 employees.
The Slipper House was founded May 2, 1952, in a 10-by-10-foot bedroom on Young Street that Glenn Uejio’s father, Kiyoto, rented for $50 a month.
Kiyoto Uejio opened and closed Slipper Houses on Hotel Street and Fort Street, and in 1959 became one of Ala Moana Center’s first customers. "The business books say the customer comes first," Uejio said in a 2002 interview. "No. The employees come first."