Creativity & Persistence

At Waikoloa Beach Resort, Merchants and Restaurateurs Find Ways to Carry On

The economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been widespread around the world, affecting businesses large and small, as well as the people who own and work at those businesses. Here on Hawai`i Island, visitor arrivals have dropped by more than 90 percent in the past several months, along with hotel occupancy, customers for shops and restaurants, rental cars, visitor attractions, and more. At Waikoloa Beach Resort, creativity and persistence have been the key for many merchants and restaurateurs at Kings’ Shops and Queens’ MarketPlace.

KINGS’ SHOPS

“It’s a difficult situation,” says Lynn Rostau, general manager for Kings’ Shops, “and we’re all anxious for the hotels to reopen. Until then, many of our shops have been flexible and creative in how they’re operating.”

Some, like Foster’s Kitchen, never closed, relying on a local customer base to keep the doors open and their employees on staff.

“We stayed open doing takeout, curbside pickup, and free delivery from Waikoloa Village to Mauna Kea,” said owner Jeff Foster. “Our thinking was that we wanted to keep supporting the community, keep our employees busy, and keep their insurance active.”

The restaurant has also been making donations of 60 free keiki meals every week for kids in need, as well as giving away masks and Girl Scout Cookies.

As of June 1, Foster’s opened the dining room, following the county rules. That includes keeping capacity down but, “we’re trying not to dwell on that aspect,” Foster said. “We’re excited to bring a few more people back to work. These are challenging times, but we’re keeping our heads down, doing what we can to keep our employees on staff, and looking forward to coming out the other side.”

Owner Joan Smoyer of retailer Noa Noa has a bit of a different challenge. “I have been a tenant at Kings’ Shops since the beginning,” she said, “and I’m hoping people can start to get back soon. But we’ve been doing more with mail order in recent months as that’s about the only thing we can do. My goal is to keep things going until things get better. We do have some specials going on that people can check out. Spend $150 and get a free mask. We also sell masks made from the same fabric that we use for sarongs. All kinds of patterns, including our popular tapa pattern.”

One way Smoyer and Noa Noa has been giving back to the Hawai`i Island community is by giving masks away to families that needed them.

QUEENS’ MARKETPLACE

At Queens’ MarketPlace, ingenuity also describes the approach of many businesses. Kelly Dewey, senior property manager for Queens’ MarketPlace, applauds the great work being done by several tenants, including Olivia Clare Boutique. “The boutique sells the work of 70 locally based vendors,” Dewey says, “many of whom had increased stock for the Merrie Monarch Festival, and who were burdened with extra merchandise when the event was cancelled due to coronavirus concerns. Olivia Clare is so committed to helping these artists sell their works, that they’ve been open every day since May 7 hustling, driving online sales, using every channel.”

Dewey also points to the flexibility of Yoga Barre, which only opened in 2019. There, owner Brittany Isaac has been offering outdoor as well as online yoga classes.
“We have daily classes outdoors at the Coronation Pavilion,” Isaac said, “plus virtual classes. We are just starting to create on-demand classes which clients can access on their own time. I don’t think we’re ever going to give them up. I hadn’t really considered this approach before, but now that people are getting used to it, they are enjoying it. The online classes are less expensive and if anyone is at-risk, this is a great way to stay up with their programs.”

Yoga Barre also stepped up and started a program that donated more than 600 juices to health care workers and hospitals on the island. Isaac sees it as the start of something she has long dreamed of.

“It’s start of a long-term goal of creating a non-profit organization,” Isaac said. “that would work to improve the health of the Hawai`i community through movement and a deeper connection to the body.” She also eventually plans to include a literacy component.

“It’s all about locals,” Isaac says. “These days it’s about what the community needs.”
Dewey sums up the feeling of all the merchants at Waikoloa Beach Resort when she says, “We want everyone to stay safe, and we look forward to seeing you stroll through the malls soon!”

Here’s a list of all shops and restaurants currently open at Waikoloa Beach Resort. Hours vary, and the list is always expending, so please call ahead to be sure.