Letter From The Editor

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The first thing Dave Newman said to me when I asked him about the soon-to-open speakeasy Harry’s Hardware Emporium is “it’s all pretty terrifying.”

It is, he admits, a lot of work.

“I’m not very smart. I don’t like sleeping,” Newman says with a laugh.

But then again, it seems that Newman’s career as a bar owner has been predicated on a string of bold, seemingly risky decisions.

His first time behind the bar, as you’ll see in our feature profile on Newman, was the result of one brazen move. Later, he quit a steady job to start Pint + Jigger. Over the years, Newman has become synonymous with the craft beer and cocktail movement in Hawaii. (Any mention of the trend locally seems to include a requisite mention of his name.) And now, he and the other Pint + Jigger co-owners — Daryn Ogino, and Hideo and Grace Simon — are gearing up to launch Harry’s.

It’s right next-door (via a secret entrance) to Pint, but they’re making Harry’s to feel a world away. Where Pint is your lively-yet-cozy neighborhood bar, Harry’s will be an exclusive, elevated concept, complete with high-end cocktails.

We took a closer look at what to expect, and what keeps Newman going through all of those risky moves on page 6.