Ala Moana Center expands
Students have positive and negative views
By Sarah Kim
The Ewa Wing side of the Ala Moana Center opened on November 15.
November 23, 2015
The Ala Moana Center opened its Ewa Wing on Nov. 15 after almost two years since the General Growth Properties began this project.
The 650,000 square feet expansion includes over 30 new stores. One is Hawaii’s first-ever Bloomingdale’s. Some stores are Zara, a second Forever 21, Brandy Melville and Foodland Farms.
According to alamoanacenter.com, the Ala Moana Center is the world’s largest outdoor shopping center and the new multilevel expansion is still not complete. Ten new stores will open later.
The Ala Moana Center is a fifteen-minute walk from McKinley High School. Several students at McKinley are excited about the Ewa Wing expansion.
“To have something that big and have it upgraded is long overdue. I am most excited about newer shops and a more modern look,” junior Naomi Franklin said.
“I’ve noticed there is a new coffee shop from Australia. There’s also Nitrogenie, which is my favorite and Magnolia Bakery,” junior Luka Masuda said. “It’s a good addition to the mall, especially since it took a lot for the construction.”
“I think the change is good for our tourism because there’s more places for the tourists to see, and they won’t be bored with the same things every time they visit,” said senior Tomomi Kohno.
Kohno also pointed out one of the major disadvantages of the expansion.
“Things could be a bit overpriced, like a small ice cream at Nitrogenie is $5. They have to make it overpriced because having a store there costs them a lot of money. Maybe tourists won’t mind the pricey things but they should make it more affordable for residents,” Kohno said.
Franklin agreed. “I think a disadvantage might be that a lot of the stores are more higher-end,” she said.
Masuda pointed out the unnecessary repetition of stores.
“The thing I don’t like about the Ewa Wing is that they have added two of the same Starbucks, Forever 21, and the Lego store. They are kind of too close to each other,” he said.
Student Poll – Have you visited or do you plan to visit the new shops in the mall?
This article was originally published on Nov. 23, 2015. Changes in structure, information, and factual errors were made on Dec. 14, 2015.
