Shoppers made a strong showing at major retail centers in Hawaii on Black Friday, traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year.
At Pearlridge Center in Aiea, there were lines of early-morning customers waiting outside of two entrances, according to general manager David Cianelli. Doors were opened as early as 5:30 a.m., a half-hour before the mall officially opened for the day. Foot traffic then picked up by the hour, heralding a good start to holiday sales.
“It’s a little different than last year,” said Cianelli. “There’s just a different energy and enthusiasm, and it’s just great to see people are having fun. We’re being safe, and I think people realize you can do both. … I think people are excited to finally get back out and enjoy a Black Friday that they are more accustomed to.”
Pearlridge Center brought back its express holiday train for kids this year after having canceled it last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year is the holiday train’s 20th anniversary, said Cianelli, and it’s back with safety protocols in place: Riders must wear masks at all times, and each car is limited to riders from one household.
Santa Claus also made his official debut at Pearlridge on Friday morning, offering cheerful “ho ho hos” as he visited keiki around the Wai Makai section of the mall. Photos with Santa at Pearlridge will be available through Dec. 24.
Cianelli said he is feeling positive about holiday sales this year, even as the pandemic stretches on.
“Well, 2020, let’s face it, was on the softer side. But I think everyone realized that certainly there’s been progress made in many different things related to COVID,” he said. “We still have all the safety protocols in place. We’re still a big believer in that. … But we’ve also had time to figure out” how to also make a shopping visit fun.
“That’s what we’ve given a lot of thought to, and it seems well embraced by our community,” Cianelli said.
Pearlridge Center has had few empty storefronts, in addition to the departure of Sears, which closed earlier this year, in the aftermath of the Illinois-based retailer’s 2018 bankruptcy. A few |storefronts are barricaded because they are under construction, Cianelli said, adding that, overall, stores at the center have survived the pandemic relatively well due to strong support from mostly local shoppers.
The retail outlook across the United States is also looking bright, according to the National Retail Federation, which expects another record-breaking holiday season this year, and nearly 2 million more people than 2020 to shop during the five-day period starting on Thanksgiving and wrapping up on Cyber Monday.
Struggling retailers in Hawaii, meanwhile, hope the state’s lower COVID-19 case counts and eased restrictions will bring consumers out to shop and dine this holiday season.
“Like everybody, you hope for the best but expect the worst,” said Tina Yamaki, president of the Retail Merchants of Hawaii. “Nobody knew what this Black Friday was going to be like. We’re still in a pandemic, so everybody is cautiously optimistic.”
People started shopping Black Friday deals as early as late October, she said, a trend that began prior to the pandemic. According to an NRF survey, 46% of holiday shoppers this year started earlier than they typically do.
This year, she noted, many retailers like Target also opted to remain closed on Thanksgiving. Best Buy, which was also closed Thursday, opened early on Friday. However, there were no long lines or people camping out in front of Best Buy for Black Friday deals, as in past years.
Black Friday deals were offered as early as mid- October. More rounds of holiday sales are expected to soon be released, both online and in stores.
Yamaki said many retailers are still dealing with challenges such as those tied to global supply chain and shipping issues, and merchandise orders that have yet to be received, along with staffing shortages.
Small businesses are also still struggling, and hoping for a windfall today, Small Business Saturday, and the rest of the holiday season.
“Businesses have closed within the last month,” she said. “I have seen shops and restaurants — they were there, and then you passed by and you see the ‘for lease’ sign in the window.”
Some businesses have moved to smaller retail spaces or a different location to adjust to the pandemic, she said.
In Kaimuki some retail spaces continue to remain empty after being vacated. Others have undergone a cycle of businesses coming and going, and still other spaces have been filled with new retailers apparently holding steady.
In Kailua town three papered-over storefronts are visible along a small stretch of Hekili Street, across from the now-shuttered Pali Lanes bowling alley.
In Kakaako, Tanna Dang, owner of the Eden in Love, focused on Black Friday online sales this year as the retail store prepares to exit its lease at the end of January and move to online sales full time. The bricks-and-mortar store opened at 11 a.m. Friday.
When the shop’s online sales began at 9 a.m., Dang said, there were about 100 orders every minute for the first five minutes. And by the first 30-minute mark, online sales had outpaced what Eden in Love did during its Black Friday pop-up store in Waikiki in the span of six hours.
Santa is also back at Ala Moana Center, Kahala Mall and Windward Mall, along with various holiday promotions and extended holiday hours. Ala Moana Center unveiled its 50-foot Big Santa in early November atop the makai parking deck, and its parking lot was bustling Friday.
In Waikiki, visitors are back, according to Sam Shenkus, spokeswoman for the Royal Hawaiian Center, which kicked off the holiday season Wednesday evening by welcoming Santa and lighting a 34-foot tree decorated with palaka and plumeria flowers.
The center is offering free photos with Santa every Wednesday and Saturday evening through Dec. 22. On the ground floor there’s also a display of “ALOHA” in 6-foot-tall letters, which has been popular with visitors. In addition, the center is again offering evening entertainment.
“Waikiki is back,” Shenkus said. “People are in the hotels, on the street, and people are at the beach.”
