 The outside view of Prince Kuhio Plaza, with Sears and T.J. Maxx | |
 | |
| Location | Hilo, Hawaii |
|---|---|
| Address | 111 East Puainako Street |
| Opening date | 1985; 40 years ago (1985)[1] |
| Management | Brookfield Properties |
| Owner | Brookfield Properties |
| No. of stores and services | 65 |
| No. ofanchor tenants | 5 (1 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 495,277 square feet (46,012.7 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
| Parking | 1 |
| Website | www |
| [2] | |
Prince Kūhiō Plaza is a single-level regionalshopping mall inHilo, Hawaii. It is the largest enclosed mall on theIsland of Hawaii.Anchor stores are twoMacy's stores,TJ Maxx, andPetco. Other major tenants include a 9-screen movie theatre operated byRegal Cinemas,Tractor Supply Company, andLongs Drugs.[3]Sears was an anchor of the plaza until closing in 2021. The mall is owned and operated byBrookfield Properties.
The mall is named for PrinceJonah Kuhio Kalanianaole, who served asCongressional Delegate from 1903 to 1922.[4]
In September 1977, theDepartment of Hawaiian Home Lands offered to lease 39 acres (160,000 m2) of land at the intersection of Pūʻāinakō Street and Kanoelehua Avenue (part of theHawaii Belt Road) for development into retail space, which had been lacking in the area. Orchid Isle Group, the sole bidder for the property, signed a 53-year lease on October 28, 1977.
The mall opened in 1985.[1]
On August 5, 2002, General Growth acquired the 50% interest in the mall that was owned byHomart Development Company, bringing its ownership in the mall to 100%.[5]
In 2001,Macy's acquired theLiberty House store at the mall, followed by acquiring the vacantJCPenney space two years later for its men's, children's, and home store.[6]
In 2004, the owner of the shopping center was sued by Longs Drugs for allowing aSafeway to be constructed at the mall.[7]
In 2013,First Hawaiian Bank opened a branch at the mall. The building was built after the demolition of former tenant Blockbuster.[8]
In 2015,Old Navy andPier 1 Imports opened stores in the mall.[9]
In 2018, TJ Maxx and Petco opened stores in the mall. Subsequently, Petco opened a space in April 2018. Their space was formerly occupied bySports Authority, which closed in 2014.
In 2020, a Tractor Supply Company store opened. Its space was formerly occupied by Safeway, who vacated the space in 2011.
On January 29, 2021, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 23 stores nationwide. The store closed on April 18, 2021.[10][11]
The main building is an indoor mall. Each wing of the mall has an anchor space and additional tenants, along with an entrance and exit. The mall has a dedicated food court area is located on the north side of the building, which features seating and tables for customers. Various events are held at the mall's stage, located in the center of the mall.[12]
In addition to the main building, astrip mall is located on the east side of the mall, which includes chains such asJamba Juice andStarbucks.[13][12] A fast food space is located next to the mall, which is currently occupied byKFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken). On the west side of the mall, a commercial office building is located, housing tenants such as Longs Drugs and Tractor Supply Company. An additional retail building is located on the southeast side of the mall, which was constructed in 2017[13] after the closure of a Hilo Hattie store in 2016. The building houses multiple tenants, including, as of 2025, aGenki Sushi,Verizon, and aSpectrum store.[14]
The mall has a bus stop located on the east side of the mall, operated byHele-On Bus. The bus stop serves as a satellite hub for the transit service and is a major stop among many routes. For parking, the mall has a surface parking lot on-property, along with an additional parking lot located across the street.[15]
19°41′50″N155°3′48″W / 19.69722°N 155.06333°W /19.69722; -155.06333