Hawaii is among least tax-friendly states
Hawaii has been deemed the nation’s fifth least tax-friendly state, according to Kiplinger, a personal finance and business organization.
Hawaii came in at No. 5 among the states rated as least tax-friendly behind California, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.
Kiplinger’s rating determined the most tax-friendly states are Delaware at No. 1, followed by Wyoming, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arizona, Alabama, Nevada, South Carolina, New Mexico and West Virginia.
Book Warehouse to debut downtown
The former owner of Hawaii-based Bestsellers Books & Music stores is opening a new bookstore downtown today at Bishop Square.
Brian Melzack will run the 1,500-square-foot Book Warehouse, which stocks new books bought at 70 percent to 90 percent discounts from publishers.
Melzack said prices will be comparable to used books — a $10 list price book for $1, for example, or a $20 book for $5. The books will be displayed on tables arranged by price.
Publishers were left with large inventories of unsold books since the advent of electronic books and the demise of Borders, Melzack said. The Kahala Barnes & Noble also will shut down in January.
"Here was a niche and an opportunity that I couldn’t resist," he said.
Melzack, which had five Bestsellers stores in 2008, closed the chain’s downtown Honolulu location in 2010.
Kaiser adds pharmacy to Kapolei clinic
Kaiser Permanente Hawaii is opening a pharmacy at its Kapolei clinic on Monday.
The 15,000-square-foot clinic at 599 Farrington Highway serves nearly 18,000 Kaiser members and has 36 employees.
The Kapolei Clinic offers family medicine and laboratory services. The new pharmacy will allow patients to see their physician and fill prescriptions in a single visit.
Big Island Candies settles in at Ala Moana
Big Island Candies is opening an 1,800-square-foot store at Ala Moana Center on the street level near Centerstage.
The outlet, which opens Nov. 15, will sell the Hilo-based company’s famous chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies, brownies and chocolate-dipped ika, or squid. It will also sell limited Hello Kitty Big Island Candies T-shirts.
Big Island Candies, which got its start in 1977, currently operates a temporary store on the mall level near Macy’s that opened in September. That store will close in January.
ON THE MOVE
North Hawaii Community Hospital has announced Dr. John Bellatti as general orthopedic surgeon for its orthopedic clinic. He was previously an orthopedic hospitalist at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Wash. Bellatti also practiced general orthopedics in Kealakekua on the Big Island.
Fairmont Hawaii Resorts has announced Tanya Matthews as the new regional director of sales and marketing for Fairmont Kea Lani on Maui. She has more than 15 years of experience in hospitality sales and was previously director of sales and marketing at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle.
