Kamehameha Schools will start a $5 million renovation of the 49-year-old Kapalama Shopping Center in September.
The shopping center project marks the start of efforts to revitalize the industrial Kalihi neighborhood. The first phase of the project will include a significant upgrade to the center’s two buildings housing about a dozen tenants, including Tattoos by Bong, Violet’s Grill and Liberty’s Beauty Salon.
"It was time to upgrade Kapalama Shopping Center," said Catherine Camp, Kamehameha Schools’ area development director. "The planned improvements will not only address deferred maintenance, but also give the center a fresh, new look. It’s a relatively small investment that will have a big impact on the neighborhood."
The renovations will include mechanical upgrades and a more upscale facade with new storefronts, walkways, signage and color. Tenants will remain open during renovations of the strip mall built in 1963 on more than four acres.
A site plan being circulated by brokerage firm Jones Lang LaSalle said the planned renovation will "feature a unique mix of local, regional and national retailers plus several anchors," a shift from the small mom-and-pop stores currently operating there. Kamehameha said the space could also be reconfigured for as many as six new tenants.
Palama Supermarket is vacating one of the larger spaces, ending a 25-year run at Kapalama Shopping Center. It is moving this month to a larger flagship location a block away as it seeks to diversify and expand its offerings beyond the Korean market. The existing 14,000-square-foot store at Kapalama Shopping Center will close by mid-August.
Kamehameha said it is in talks with Zippy’s about renovating the restaurant’s existing free-standing space at the center or moving into other space once renovations are complete.
Kamehameha Schools said it is evaluating at least two other adjacent buildings, which will likely be demolished and rebuilt, possibly with the same facade as the upgraded shopping center, within the next three to five years. One of the buildings that would likely be demolished previously housed a bowling alley and is now being leased by a used-car dealership, Excellent Motor Group Inc.
