Sports Authority in Hilo is Now Closed

An article on the panic in the retail industry set off by Sports Authority's bankruptcy.

Yesterday was the last day Sports Authority in Hilo was open. I happened to be at the Plaza around noon, so I checked it out. Signs announcing merchandise was now 90% Off, but hardly anything was left. The store itself was almost completely empty. Not even shelves. Whether people were loading up at these rock-bottom prices or it was a liquidator who already removed merchandise is anyone's guess. I asked a saleswoman what time the store closed. She said seven p.m. Then I left.

The space could be filled again soon, if a Dick's Sporting Goods or a similar-sized outfit comes to the Plaza. More likely, it will stand empty, maybe for years, the way it did when Woolworth's closed in the early `90s.

-----
It's not that Sports Authority wasn't popular in Hilo, it was. But the Sports Authority bankruptcy means all of its stores nationwide will close.

Pacific Business News: Sports Authority to Close All of Its Hawaii Stores.

Still Christmas

Busy, busy, busy has been this year. I'm already looking toward the New Year to simplify things. But we're still observing Christmas. We took some belated gifts to friends and neighbors today, and I have a few more gifts and cards to send. Christmas Eve shopping at the Prince Kuhio Plaza is not as crowded as it seems. A large space, part of which was a surfwear shop, will reopen next year as an Old Navy. I went first to Hot Topic, then Hallmark, and finally the pop-up calendar shop toward the women's section of Macy's.

Remembering what the Plaza was and what it is now, I don't feel enticed to roam and shop for hours. This is a mall that once had a Waldenbooks, a Tempo Music, etc. What is your impression of the Plaza then and now?