Retooling a shoppers paradise | News, Sports, Jobs
Renovations are set to be completed this year to the 45-year-old Whalers Village in Kaanapali, where shoppers will see mall-wide improvements and the addition of 10,000 square feet.
The mall in the heart of the Kaanapali Resort area is “revitalizing” itself to “complement the properties in Kaanapali” by reinvesting in the shopping complex as other properties have done, said Corinne Arquero, general manager of Whalers Village Fine Shops.
Work began in April. The project should be finished late this year, Arquero said.
The improvements will make room for stores set to open this year, including Alex and Ani (a jeweler known for its bangles), Planet Blue (women’s Bohemian and beach fashion) and Ono Gelato Co., she said.
Other mall retailers are relocating into new spaces while others are expanding, she added. Blue Ginger relocated and opened in a new location in January and Maui Waterwear will move into a new space as well.
Billabong and Crazy Shirts expansions will be completed this year.
The Monkeypod Kitchen restaurant will open at the mall in 2017. (The restaurant already has another location in Wailea.) It will occupy the former site of the Maui Fish and Pasta restaurant, which closed last year.
Cariloha opened late last year. It sells clothing and accessories made out of bamboo.
Work in the mall includes upgrading common areas, which will receive new hardscaping, flooring and landscaping and a new restroom. Stairways will be modified, and lighting and signage will be upgraded, according to the mall’s website.
Other improvements include adding more parking and enhancing an entryway.
One of two ocean-themed tile murals near the parking garage will remain in place. The other will be relocated in the mall, Arquero said.
Some people were concerned about what would happen to the murals with the ongoing renovations.
The large whale skeleton facing Kaanapali Parkway will remain in place after the mall work is completed, Arquero said.
“We are renovating the whale pavilion area to incorporate whale talks in this area also and (to) provide educational information as well as mall information,” she said.
The Whale Museum closed in November, and mall officials are working on replacing it with a “past, present, future” whaling and marine environment experience, Arquero said.
Whale talks conducted by National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s Hawaiian Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary officials continue at the mall’s beach entrance lawn near Hula Grill and Leilani’s restaurant.
The Brighton Collectibles store closed on Jan. 24, according to an email sent to its customers. The email attributed the closure to the Whalers Village’s renovation while praising it as a “wonderful mall.”
Arquero explained that Brighton was planning to relocate in the mall, but opted against that for the time being.
There are no other stores closing due to the renovations, Arquero added.
Whalers Village is owned by General Growth Properties. It sits on 8.5 acres and contains a variety of stores catering to tourists and residents. Stores include those featuring beach and resort wear, jewelry, cosmetics and upscale retailers such as Louis Vuitton, Kate Spade and Tommy Bahama. There are also restaurants and a food court.
* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.
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