Quixotic Endeavor

From 1964 to the turn of the century the store at 801 Kaheka St. was called Holiday Mart.

It hawked a variety of items in keeping with its description as a "full-line, one-stop discount department store," but the retail economics that would lead to Costco, Walmart, and Amazon gradually strangled Holiday Mart. A date with the wrecker's ball seemed inevitable; Holiday Mart had a single-story structure in a highly desirable location with commercial and residential multi-story buildings all around.

Daiei, the Japanese supermarket chain, showed that retail could still survive in the location by appealing to the tastes of Hawaii's Asian population.

Don Quijote, another Japanese company, acquired the property in 2006 and doubled down on Daiei's approach. Don Quijote seems to be succeeding by embracing the over-the-top colorful displays popular in Japan and Korea.

It's a pleasure walking down the aisles, and it keeps one from noticing that the prices are well above competitors'. Don't get me wrong---I'd rather have Don Quijote there than another condo highrise. Long may it tilt at windmills.