Tag: Ala Moana Shopping Center

Buying local in Hawaii

The annual Made in Hawaii Festival returned to Ala Moana Shopping Center over the Veterans Day holiday weekend. The HAT Blog bought a ticket ($15) and attended for a two-hour time slot just before lunchtime. It got us thinking about buying local in Hawaii, and about how many Hawaii small businesses rely on direct sales […]

Celebrating the New Year with Fukubukuro

While the Chinese ring in the new year with lion dances and gau, the Japanese celebrate with a tradition called Fukubukuro. It’s based on the Japanese superstition of starting off the new year with a clean house or a clean slate, and for businesses, that means selling last year’s merchandise at discount prices. It’s no […]