Time To Paw-Ty With These Local Businesses
Roberta Oaks has the perfect accessory for your pet PHOTO COURTESY ROBERTA OAKS
After the Black Friday craziness, pet owners can support local businesses while treating their furry friends to something special on Nov. 26. The inaugural Pet Passport Event, part of Small Business Saturday, allows pet parents to visit six local boutiques that will have day of promotions for animals and their humans.
Each location will have passports and stamps; patrons that visit all six locations and get their passport stamped will be entered to win prizes. (Drop off completed passports at any of the locations.)
In addition to host Hawaii Doggie Bakery, participants include The Public Pet, Owens & Co., Roberta Oaks, Big Bad Wolf Kids and Mori Hawaii.
• Hawaii Doggie Bakery (2961C E. Manoa Road) will host a Howl-i-day Christmas Paw-ty featuring Christmas treats and gift items. There also will be a station for a DIY ugly Christmas doggie bandana, treat samples, sweet potato-infused water (for pups only) and more.
• The Public Pet (3422 Waialae Ave. #101) will run a 30 percent-off promotion on all treats and pet toys. Every purchase over $30 qualifies you for a chance to win a $100 gift card.
Hawaii Doggie Bakery hosts Small Business Saturday Nov. 26, offering pup-friendly treats PHOTO COURTESY HAWAII DOGGIE BAKERY
• Owens & Co. (1152 Nuuanu Ave.) features a doggie bowtie bar (courtesy of Puppy Love Hawaii) and a free gift with any purchase of $50 or more.
• Mori Hawaii (South Shore Market, 1170 Auahi St.) will hold a DIY dog tag workshop.
• Various promotions at Big Bad Wolf Kids (South Shore Market, 1170 Auahi St.) and Roberta Oaks (19 N. Pauahi St.) are TBD.
Small Business Saturday, created by American Express in 2010, aims to promote local small businesses across the nation.
“Small Business Saturday is truly one of the highlights of our year both for sales and customer interaction,” states Hawaii Doggie Bakery co-owner Niki Libarios. “Our customers are wonderful to come out and support us on this day each year, and we are grateful for the opportunity to thank them as well.”
For more information on Small Business Saturday, visit shopsmall.com.
STROLL THROUGH A CHINATOWN WINTER WONDERLAND
Chinatown merchants invite the public to literally walk in a winter wonderland throughout the month of December. Nearly 40 neighborhood restaurants, clubs, boutiques and galleries will decorate their storefronts and display windows for 2016’s Winter Walk.
Each business is responsible for choosing a design and theme, and there are no rules or judging. But beyond the festive fun, area merchants say there’s a deeper significance to Winter Walk: It supports local entrepreneurs and the neighborhood as a whole.
“Unlike a mall, all the merchants down here are almost 100-percent local entrepreneurs, and the money spent in the shops, cafes, bars and restaurants directly and positively impacts the livelihood of the kama’aina who work in and operate these establishments,” says Downbeat Diner & Lounge co-owner Joshua Hancock.
Originally developed in 2014 by Miki Lee of Honolulu Culture and Arts District (HCAD), the Winter Walk is meant to change the negative perceptions people have of the Chinatown area.
“The best way we thought to do that was to create family-friendly reasons for people to visit and get to know the area,” she says.
Lee, who took over HCAD in 2015, is hoping to use the nonprofit to build community and support small businesses. As part of that effort, the HCAD board agreed to be a steward of the annual Winter Walk.
It started small, with just a dozen businesses, but now the festive spirit can be found all throughout the nine-block radius. Many hope that this can be a step to reclaiming Chinatown’s history and establishing it as a go-to place for everyone.
“Chinatown may have some bumps and bruises, but there are so many great restaurants and shops with lots of creative people endeavoring to make the area sparkle plenty,” adds Pegge Hopper Gallery manager Melanie Yang. “There are so many gems in Chinatown and having the Winter Walk may create a similar, enhanced experience.”
“Chinatown is an authentic, diverse, unique community,” says Lee. “It blends the old with the new and is full of character and creativity. Some of Honolulu’s most interesting craftsmen and women, artists and restaurateurs thrive right next to colorful, even gritty businesses. Somehow it works. The more people that are introduced to it, the better the community gets.”
Chinatown Winter Walk 2016 Participating Venues
Aloha Graphics
ARTS at Marks Garage
Bar 35
Barrio Vintage
Bethel Union
Cake Envy
Citizen Salon
Downbeat Diner & Lounge
Echo and Atlas
Fighting Eel
Ginger 13
Grondin: French-Latin Kitchen
Hank’s
HASR Wine Shop and Bistro
haul2hi
Hawaiian Lei Company
Heritage Trading Company
Homecoming Honolulu
HomeStreet Bank
Hound & Quail
House of Aria
In4mation
La Muse
Livestock Tavern
Louis Pohl Gallery
Lucky Belly
The Manifest
Owens & Co.
Pegge Hopper Gallery
Proof Public House
Real Office Centers
Roberta Oaks
Smith & Kings
The Tchin Tchin! Bar
Tea at 1024
Tin Can Mailman
Downtown Shop Around
While you enjoy the seasonal decorations around Chinatown, many of the same vendors also are participating in this year’s Downtown Shop Around, which kicks off on Black Friday (Nov. 25).
Each of the nearly 50 participating businesses will feature their own specials — trunk shows, deals, gift ideas, refreshments and more.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND THE FULL LIST OF VENUES, PROMOTION DATES AND DETAILS, VISIT DOWNTOWNSHOPAROUND.COM.
WINTER WALK 2016 RUNS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF DECEMBER. PREMIUM VIEWING HOURS ARE IN THE EVENING, AND MAPS WILL BE AVAILABLE IN SHOPS THROUGHOUT THE AREA. SHARE PHOTOS OF YOUR FAVORITE WINDOWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA USING THE HASHTAG #WINTERWALK808. MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ONLINE AT FACEBOOK.COM/DISCOVERCHINATOWN.
