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When local entrepreneurs Jana and Misha Lam, Allison Izu Song and Summer Shiigi opened the doors to their pop-up retail store at the Ala Moana Hotel last month, they didn’t know what kind of customers to expect.
Song and Shiigi, who own designer clothing brands Allison Izu and Ten Tomorrow, respectively, used to have a storefront at Ward Warehouse, but moved their base of operations to Kaimuki about six months ago. Sisters-in-law Misha and Jana Lam also maintain individual storefronts, with Jana selling her apparel at Ward Village, while jewelry-maker Misha has an office/studio space downtown.
But this pop-up is the first time all four ladies have worked so intimately together — and in opening an unproven concept in the shadow of Ala Moana Center, none of them really knew what to expect.
“Our regular customers have been showing up,” said Shiigi. “But we’re also seeing lot of neighbor-island customers, which has been interesting. People who have maybe heard of us before but haven’t gotten a chance to buy anything. It’s a different type of local.”
The approximately 900-square-foot space was the perfect “turnkey” opportunity, Song said, after a previous collectibles shop vacated the space without removing much, if any, of the fixtures already in place. All the four women had to do was construct a makeshift dressing room; the space was already equipped with display cases and sales racks.
“It’s working well, because we’re all different enough that we each bring in a slightly different clientele,” said Song. “Pop-ups are so much more common now, and it’s a great opportunity for us to test a market. For small businesses like us, it’s really low risk. It was a win-win for both the hotel and all of us.”
Following a grand opening party on April 14, Shiigi and Song said traffic has been relatively brisk, with a 50-50 mix of locals and tourists walking through the doors (and mostly local residents making purchases). After opening with items aimed more for the resort market, they’ve started rotating more work- and party-friendly attire that locals can wear every day.
Find the pop-up featuring Allison Izu, Ten Tomorrow, Misha Lam Jewelry and Jana Lam in the lobby of the Ala Moana Hotel near Starbucks from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily for at least another week. Song said they don’t have a formal lease, so they could be around for another few weeks — or even a few months — depending on what the hotel says.
“The good thing is, we’re a culture here in Hawaii where local supports local. So it’s nice to see the bigger establishments like the Ala Moana Hotel give smaller businesses a way to reach a different market,” said Shiigi.
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