Is now the newest Starbucks Reserve which is like in the old location of the former Sears. In the Mauka wing of the mall, this Starbucks has been considerably emptier than the locations in Macy’s or at Center Court. Okay, so there’s not that many stores nearby but that simply contributes to it lower volume. And during the busy shopping season, this emptiness is very much welcomed.
Albeit I didn’t do a whole lot of shopping on Black Friday 2016, but I did brave Ala Moana for a few hours. This was in the late afternoon when I figured the crowds would have dissapated and even the heartiest of shoppers would have hit the wall. I was sorta right. Parking was available and made navigable using the recently installed parking counters. These things surely eased any parking anxiety.
As the norm, my first stop was Starbucks. After easily finding parking (though in the boonies), I had to gear up for the crowds. Luckily, taking the closest elevator to the street elevator placed me nearby the Starbucks Reserve location by the former Sears. I hadn’t been to this location since it reopened and didn’t realize it had the “Reserve” status. Really, that didn’t matter to me. What really mattered was the short line.
After I finished my drink, I went for a free refill and this is what I saw at the other two Starbucks locations.
That Disney Vacation sign and pillar blocks the view of how long the line actually was. Looks like it ended near the escalators. So I kept walking to the Macy’s location which had gotten emptier in recent history. Although the gate was down, they were open, but you had to enter through their doors and get jammed into their small space with everyone else.
I don’t know why, but my first shopping stop after getting Starbucks was The North Face. While I love the brand, I had never been to the Ala Moana location. Just no real need in Hawaii, you know. But the place was packed…and in a mess. The entry way display of specials was in a heap.
The store workers tried to keep up with the folding, but the masses undid the orderliness in no time. But now I know where to find Smartwool socks.
To be fair, the mess was everywhere. I went to Banana Republic since they had a hefty 50% off sale but finding shirts like this proved tough. Try finding a pattern and size in this jumble. You needed to make a bigger mess to go through the mess.
So even in the late afternoon, the crowds were still there. Weaving your way to get to your stops was tough with too much congestion and slow moving, bag-laden shoppers.
There was still a line just to enter Prada.
Even though I had limited time, I did see a few fun things. The Finish Line in Macy’s ocassionally surprises me with their collection. They had an Adidas NMD colorway, but all the smaller sizes sold out earlier in the day.
Deejays were spinning the tunes as you entered Macy’s. If nothing else, the loud performance woke up weary shoppers.
The Vintage Cave has reopened.
I saw a pair of Yeezys and talked to the owner who had won them in a raffle. Instead of reselling them, he decided to rock them. Props to him!
Loving the new holiday decorations.
The real reason I went to Ala Moana on Black Friday was to buy Yoku Moku at Shirokiya at 20% off. This purchase greatly helped my progress of getting a free Santa snow globe.
So yeah, like I said, a fun Black Friday!
Recently, I noticed that Ala Moana now indicates how many open parking stalls are in the various parking areas. As you go up the Keeaumoku entrance ramp, you’ll see the big board counting all the open spaces (sorry, I don’t have a pic). I had seen this on the mainland but never in Hawaii.
I wondered how it got its data then I finally (and painfully) looked at the new-ish LED lights in the structure. Nestled between the left and right LED lights is what I’m guessing to be the sensor.
The signs of the apocalypse are mounting. This past week, the stalwart escalators of Ala Moana, the “flat” ones near Macys, actually broke down. These were seemingly the most reliable set of escalators in the entire mall. I’ve even seen the newer ones near Nordstrom being repaired, but those flat ones just kept on running.
Another sign is the disapperance of the Hoy Hoy Trap a Roach. These popular and effective roach traps are not available in stores as the roaches reign in this hot and humid weather.
The end is near!!
Roamed around Ala Moana recently, and here’s what I saw (no worries, no busted escalators in this post).
This is the first time I’ve been in Zara which I understand to be an upscale H&M. I would agree with that assessment. The most interesting aspect of that two-story location is its (working) escalator. It has to be the longest in the entire mall. Take a look back after reaching the top, and you’ll really see how far you traveled.
It was easy to recognize that Zara was definitely not my style.
Even in black or white, I still couldn’t pull this off.
It’s a good thing these are kids sizes. Otherwise I would have needed to try on a pair just for the laughs seen in the dressing room mirror.
Hold up, what’s this? Is this the first casualty of the Ewa Wing? Gloria Jeans Coffee is closed already!?!
And there’s a Pressed Juicery downstairs by the Shirokiya Japan Village Walk. More impressive was the long line at 9pm, and Shirokiya wasn’t yet open for business. Is Pressed Juicery that good? I may have to try their coffee if the line is short.
Both you and I know that today’s grand opening of the Shirokiya Japan Village Walk would be well received by the Hawaii public.
But did you think it’s so well received that the line to enter snakes around the corner to Old Navy?
To put this in perspective, Old Navy is from the old school Ala Moana, essentially marking the Sears end of the mall. Then the new Ewa wing extended from there. So this line queues pass Pressed Juicery, the downstairs Bloomingdales’ entrances, and the upcoming Famous Footwear. Long enough where I wouldn’t wait, but devout Pulpconnection and Shirokiya fans would. 🙂
9:45 update: Before the 10:00 opening, the line now extends to Makai Market. Makai Market!! Thanks to Kakaako Connection for the updates.
10:14 update: Getting close…
After much anticipation, the new Shirokiya opens tomorrow, Saturday, June 25, 2016. It’s going to be a madhouse, and I’m going to stay away for a long time. Sure, it’s not the Shirokiya of old where you could find an assortment of all things from Japanese culture. Instead, food and experience takes the forefront at the Shirokiya Japan Village Walk.
This new location is downstaris of Bloomingdales in the Ewa Wing, and when I went to check out the new spot, many disappointed shoppers walked by thinking the Village Walk was already open.
It’ll be like old times, walking into the store with iconic logo.
Can you guess what’s not right in this picture?
Yes, the elderly and the physically-challenged were walking up the stairs since the escalator was not working.
With the migration of Nordstrom to Ala Moana’s Ewa Wing, the Mauka Wing has lost its main draw and businesses there must be hurting. Throughout the mall, there are signs telling shoppers there’s still life in the Mauka Wing.
I can’t quite place my finger on it, but personally, I felt a sense of chaos while touring the new Nordstrom in the Ewa Wing of Ala Moana. It was just weird and different from the vibe of the original Nordstrom.
While the store is nice and new, the layout just felt chaotic for me. Like the recently-added Bloomingdale’s, distinguishing each department means decorating it differently. There are no walls or exceptionally tall partitions to separate floor space and departments. Multi-storied, the new location is essentially different floors of empty, flat space, not rooms or sections. I guess the original location was similary built, so maybe it’s the high ceilings with all that extra space that exacerbates that bad vibe.
Then I hit the men’s shoe department. Usually, I enjoy the great finds here, enjoying some unique kicks. But I could hardly make my way through this “department.” It just felt so confusing like I was going the wrong way, and it was like I couldn’t get a good look at the shoes. Do I walk clockwise, counterclockwise, straight through? Even with the variety of shoes there, I just couldn’t bring myself to enjoy or even look at them with the chaotic layout too distracting.
And you know what I think the cause is? Again, it’s weird, but I think it’s the right side of the all the pairs of shoes on display. Thinking about it, I think most stores display the left shoe. Why? I don’t know, but I’m sure there’s some reason. So browsing amongst all the right pairs was just so disconcerting. The shoes were pointing one way, but I felt like I had to walk against this natural direction. Or maybe it’s because I’m right handed and picking up the right shoe in the displayed orientation, I would see the inner, medial side of it. But really, the outer side of the shoe is where it’s at.
I have to go back one day and see if that sense of confusion is still with me, but man that new Nordstrom just feels too chaotic.
Oh eBar, you were my coffee oasis when queues were long at Starbucks. With two locations, a caffeinated drink was readily available after a short walk. But with your new single location in the Ewa Wing, I am saddened.
Sure, the new eBar location looks great. The interior is bright and modern and the outside seating is plentiful and shaded by huge umbrellas. But the coffee. And the wait. That’s not what I remember about the foregone eBar.
Yes, I had to wait in line. There were two people ahead of me to order my drink and three patrons already waiting to get their drink. Then when my Orange Iced Coffee came out, disappointment hit. How much coffee do you see? And how much orange foam do you see?
That’s not my idea of a worthwhile drink. Not having this drink before, I gave eBar the benefit of the doubt. But really, I shouldn’t have. And my goto drink, the Mexican Mocha, wasn’t on the menu anymore. I’ll give them another shot but with lowered expectations.
