Phantom Mall-Wing Syndrome at Ala Moana

A  L  O  H  A !

" The evening sings

 in a voice of amber, 

the dawn

 is surely coming. "


Al Stewart 

" Every generation laughs

 at the old fashions, 

but follows religiously 

the new. "


Henry David Thoreau

" The love we have

 in our youth 

is superficial compared 

to the love that

 an old man has

 for his old wife. "

Will Durant

><}}(°> ~

Sears came to Hawaii back in Territorial

 (pre-statehood) days,

installing the islands' first escalator

(in the 1930's)

in the building I knew

 as Honolulu Police Headquarters

where I obtained my
 taxi driving license.
(late 1980's)

Sears had left that building
in 1959

to move into the exciting 

New Shopping Center

(Mall was not a concept yet)

whose opening coincided with

S T A T E H O O D!

It was a booming hopeful time

for Hawaii, for Honolulu,

and for "Hawaii's Center"

Ala Moana Shopping Center.

(LINK)

As in most other cities

people stopped shopping

Downtown (Fort St; King St)

and drove to the 

exciting new big center.

Sears and Ala Moana flourished

together, creating jobs

and memories

for generations of

Island folks, and 

our visitors.

Your childhood presents,

school clothes,

prom-wear, homegoods,

all from Sears.

And your Auntie or Uncle

probably worked there.

Ala Moana 

'World's Largest Open Air Center'

has always been great 
for people watching,

and has grown in phases.

But lately locals are grumbling

that the old standards,

Like Slipper House (sandals)

that opened AMSC have

disappeared one by one.

Now there is new development.

Sears has left AMSC!

(Stores remain in two other

Oahu locations FAR from town)

No more quick appliance parts,

car brakes, or car battery installed,

no eyeglass shop,
no watch repair 
(world class, alas!).

We're all nostalgic for Sears.

That wing of the mall will become

a Bloomingdales

and lots of other

"Cool New Shops"

But right now

that Mall Wing

feels haunted.

"Sad, yeah?" local faces

reaching "The Wall"

seem to express.

Oh well.

Things that seemed

permanent when we were kids

are revealed to be changing,

passing.

People too.

Us too.

There are so many choices

on Oahu today!

But something laments

the passing of familiar things.

"Aloha, Sears;

Now we going drive

Windward or Pearl City

for buy tools!"

Thanks for Walking the Mall
With Us Today!

                              Warmly, cloudia