International Market Place Will be horribly razed

Just another strip mall to me.. I do like that they left the banyan tree but damn.. doesn't at all look very exciting to me.

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/30356361/international-marketplace-60-complete

about the only good thing that might come out of this is possibly some good Hawaiian music being showcased, but there's little really good music left and if they take on Kika for handling any of it, the woman who has 75% of Waikiki by it's musical balls, you can forget that too, she's single handily killed the last of it.

Here ya go, enjoy the tour; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT5x_0uVngw&feature=player_embedded
The best it deserves is that Oahu's homeless population take it over

So after the 65 year lease is up... can they do this?
http://gizmodo.com/taiwan-is-demolishing-an-old-mall-and-turning-its-parki-1742444372

Any recent photos of the "lot"

bump

Here ya go. 12/06/2015.

TT

Jan 2016
:(

Is it true they are going to put an Elks Lodge in this spot?

Could not resist, sorry.

They may as well :)

Backside

Nutha view

Their website has some interesting galleries and videos. Here's a direct link to the "fly-through" of the new project.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT5x_0uVngw#action=share

On 2016-01-11 07:19, JenTiki wrote:
Their website has some interesting galleries and videos. Here's a direct link to the "fly-through" of the new project.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT5x_0uVngw#action=share

Gack! Looks like every other outdoor mall in the world with some tiki torches added. Has all the personality of a hunk of cement. IMHO.

So glad I spent a fair amount of time there on my last trip wandering around, shopping, eating, and taking lots of photos before it all closed down to be razed.

What happened to that once very interesting plot of land can only be called "retrocide," shorthand for retro-genocide.

On 2016-01-11 11:48, PremEx wrote:

On 2016-01-11 07:19, JenTiki wrote:
Their website has some interesting galleries and videos. Here's a direct link to the "fly-through" of the new project.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT5x_0uVngw#action=share

Gack! Looks like every other outdoor mall in the world with some tiki torches added. Has all the personality of a hunk of cement. IMHO.

UGH. No kidding.

...because when I fly thousands of miles and several hours to a tropical isle I am just itching to go to a freakin' MALL.

The madness continues

July 2016
:(

Amazing pix Jon. I have stayed next door at the Queen K many times and I’m very familiar with some of the camera angles you shot from. Too bad the subject no longer exists as we knew it.
Have fun-drink one fo me bruddah!

Sad.

It has all the character of any-mall America. :(

So here we are, a few years later, talking about the soon-to-open NEW International Market Place. Wow, how those developers and investors fly!

Does anyone know anything about the old vendors? Did they relocate en masse? Did they give up? Were any architectural elements saved, and if so, where are the carvings and other things?

Some good souvenir shopping could be done at the old IMP if you didn't mind looking through all the typical tourist stuff. I found some "nuggets" in Hawaiian-themed silver rings and authentic made-in-Hawaii shirts from several of the awesome clothing shops there. I always checked out the tiki carver there too. And I went to see the remains of Don The Beachcomber. Oh, and then the inexpensive and awesome food stands at the back by the stage where you could get good fast food, and also authentic Dole Whips.

There may be an interesting "fire tower" feature at the front, although depictions on the web vary where some show a giant bowl with a tall flame and others show a series of light fixtures. Also, they will have a number of high-end dining establishments from famous chefs. Here's an article:

http://khon2.com/2015/11/17/new-restaurants-coming-to-international-market-place/

Grand opening is currently scheduled for August 26, 2016. The official web site is at:
http://shopinternationalmarketplace.com/

On their web site you can sign up for emails with updates as they get closer to the grand opening.

I do not think the new IMP is going to be a real "destination" like the old place was. And it strikes me a bit odd that they've kept the old IMP name when the place is very far from what the old IMP was.

I'm still amazed that, for as much of a crapfest the IMP had become, I'm still missing it for the nuggets of goodness which could be found there. We stayed at the Aqua Wave hotel behind the IMP and saved a huge amount of time and money eating some dinners at the IMP, some breakfasts at Jack In The Box, and spending much time relaxing and drinking good stuff at some really good waterfront bars on the beach at Waikiki -- all in very close walking distance to the hotel.

Cheers!

Granted I never had the opportunity to visit the original International Marketplace, but on my recent trip to Waikiki I found Duke's Alley/Marketplace and I believe that's where most of the venders moved.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/dukes-marketplace-honolulu

Yep
Lots of them tucked in there
Not much in the way of that occasional "cool find" though
:(

A few treasures escaped the dumpsters and landed here:

Ah, the new place by the owners of Tikitown. Funny, never saw those items at the Market Place. Leads me to believe they are from Rick's storage locker...

This was sent out last Friday (8/12) by the new development marketing team.

We've come full circle, my friends.

Yep, looks pretty much like the rest of the street now. Like a lot of others, I spent a lot of time there during my early trips to the island with my family. Now I've resigned myself to writing that part of Waikiki off. I still, however, catch my breath when I step out on the beach and catch that first glimpse if Diamondhead. That is still worth the trip out there, as well as all the other parts of Oahu.

That mall is as generic as Anytown, U.S.A.

What does this have to do with Hawaii? Just like the new Hawaii 5-0, which for the most part could have been shot in any tropical place.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2016-08-16 16:36 ]

I'll actually be off work & free on the 25th for the Grand Opening. Maybe I'll catch some of it, film some video or take some pics.
I'm actually very happy it's opening. I'll miss the old place for sure, but I do hate everything being "under construction" forever. WE have quite a bit of construction going on these days.

Kaiwaza,

Look forward to seeing the opening, as sad as that may be. In the meantime, a look back on happier days.

Don and the International Market Place ad.

The Brownlee carvings.

Another ad showing the grounds.

DC

The grand opening is tomorrow. This arrived by email this morning. :(

The rich "organicness" of the old IMP has been replaced by overwhelming consumerism, concrete, and steel. And this on a tropical island where "organicness" and natural beauty is typically the most celebrated and desired of the features. Hey, they say this is progress. I say definitely not.

Progress moving backwards. Another little reminder of the way it was with Donn's Dagger Bar, the Tiki wood carver, Hawaiian Sportswear and the Bamboo Lanai.

DC

A very sad day...

Yup, when "tremendous unique-ness" is replaced by "overwhelming average-ness."

Now it blends in and competes with all the other high-end strip malls in Waikiki. And they consider this "better?" Blah....

See below. They say "A Waikiki icon is back..." in this email announcing that it opened today. Let's see what the future photos from our tiki agents show us, and what the food venues are like. Hopefully there are still some reasonably priced food options here, as the mom-and-pop food venues in the original IMP were always a hit with us even though they were a bit skanky at first glance. So now that this has come full-circle, I'm reminded to appreciate things while we have them. You can never tell when something cool or beloved will go away.

So a friend & I went to the opening day of the new International Marketplace. I'll post some still pics here, but I actually did a vlog which I'm uploading as we speak, and will put it up here as soon as it's done. It was pretty much what I was expecting, a mix of upscale and mid-price range shops, no tiki anywhere, but a very tropical, modern vibe. I was a bit disappointed with the tree house, but thought then entertainment area was very well done.
More video to come.

Must of just missed you John. I too was on a difficult mission to go into the belly of the beast or Hades, otherwise known as the new International Market Place to report to Tiki Central. Here international means international MONEY. I'll do my report in 2 parts: first part is the ironic tributes to Don Beach.

First they rebuilt the tree house in a cleaner modern tiki style (it gratefully does not actually touch the tree). The new tree house is actually a tiny museum to the old IMP and to Donn Beach himself. Here are some photos:

Also on temporary walls (store fronts with no stores yet) there are a few photo blow ups of the old IMP:

The Major question here is why do these new developers of IMP honor Donn Beach and his accomplishments YET destroy it at the same time.

No Tiki killed it for me..
Nice to see the tree house reborn even though it's very different and the beautiful old tree..

Really No Tiki??? Come on IMP if your reading this.. :wink:

Part 2 the Market place itself:

I used to be an architectural critic. The architecture itself was not a surprise for any of us - drab international style with no sense of place unlike the original IMP. I give it a 1 out of 4 stars. This is why the following earned the new IMP a one star and it was not hard for anyone to earn this: one, nice tropical plants every where or the white international high end shopping style architecture would be really bland. Part of this, of course, is preserving the Banyan tree. Two, water features, like the old IMP a steam still runs under the great tree and beyond. Also a cool contemporary style water falls towards the back and a simple water volcano in the front. Three, good Hawaiian music everywhere, of course this was for the grand opening, hopefully good Hawaiian music will be piped every where and I hope they book good live bands and hula tropes for the weekends, after all they do have a nice stage. Some modern Pacific light fixtures, tiki torches and other very small architectural features but as Kaiwaza says - NO TIKIs. All this is not original, the Ala Moana shopping center has all these features. Lastly if one did not look at these "named branded" stores filled with suits and ties (please...this is Hawaii-the tropics) and just look at the plants and water features one could survive this Hades but of course the stores wouldn't make money - international money. Hmmmm, now if it had a new Trader Vics on top , IMP might earn itself another star.

See for yourself with more picts below:

Some, but very few, tiki architecture features:

Tropical plant features:

Water features:

P.S. Those koa rocking chairs that Kaiwaza is sitting on in the previous post are about $2,000.00 each and there are around 50 of them all around, heirloom pieces just sitting in the weather??? Oh one more photo, tourist tiki shot glasses in the ABC store in the very back of the new IMP.

[ Edited by: creativenative 2016-08-26 00:12 ]

NEW International Market Place VIDEO
Grand Opening Day
August 25, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rkR9dUcOIM

BTW..as creativenative pointed out..50 koa rocking chairs sitting around. You KNOW those things are gonna eventually be secured in place somehow, or they will start disappearing.
Personally, my disapointment primarily was that I felt the treehouse was really the place where thhey could have "tikied out", yet they just put in placards describing the glories of IMP of the past.
It was pretty much what I was expecting, and, as pointed out, not much different from how Ala Moana Center has become now. It's ok, but how many Lush's, etc do we need here?

"Hawaiian Leisure Hour" on 8Tracks.com
http://8tracks.com/hawaiian-leisure-hour

[ Edited by: Kaiwaza 2016-08-26 01:13 ]

Thanks to all for the updates, the pics, the videos. This leaves an opening for someone else to make a mark in Waikiki. At least you can still go visit any number of botanical gardens and other natural wonders to experience the real Hawai`i.

I suggest not avoiding Waikiki just because of the IMP having been so dramatically replaced. The beach is still very worthwhile, so go for a swim and also enjoy some of the many excellent food and cocktail opportunities there. The view of Diamond Head and the beach and the water is still very worth seeing.

Well, with not being privy to any plans for this Moloch, I am happily surprised that they built an A-frame as the tree house, and that they MENTION Tiki style, and that the texts about Tiki are NOT WRONG. Not very deep, but not wrong (of course, me personally, I am still disappointed that "the birth of Tiki culture" is again being attributed to the 1934 opening of Don The Beachcomber in Hollywood, while the REAL birth did not happen until the mid-50s, but I have kind of accepted this simplified version at this point).

And it's nice that they have a lava rock lined stream. But the rest: White wall blandness inside and out.

As to Tiki statuary, the lack of it just goes to show that the fear of being un-p.c. with Tikis still reigns in Waikiki, and that mid-century American Tiki art is not seen as a proud continuation of the ancient traditions, but something to keep under wraps, or in a small corner.

One last look back, as "Then & now":
My 1999 photo of my son Diego in front of the original tree house, and the same spot today:

Kaiwaza- thanks for the video

I think every TC visitor needs to drop off a tiki in the bushes
:)

A Google Maps review from 5 years ago states:

Has anyone been to the Aloha Stadium swap meet / marketplace? It might be another good alternative to the old / original / awesome International Marketplace of the past.

On 2016-08-30 08:56, AceExplorer wrote:
Has anyone been to the Aloha Stadium swap meet / marketplace? It might be another good alternative to the old / original / awesome International Marketplace of the past.

I have been and it's okay, the majority of it is your typical tourist ware. Nothing very exciting but if you're in the market, you can get great deals because you can haggle with them. It's setup around the stadium itself, in the parking lot, so you will literally walk around the entire thing with merchants on both sides but they practically sell the same stuff every 100 feet, so you end up getting Deja vu every 20min. Once in awhile you'll come across artisan merchants which is breath of fresh air. The best is when locals show up with their stuff, basically garage sale items but my Dad found some great tiki pieces for next to nothing. Bottom line, it's hit or miss but if you have an hour or so to kill, it's worth a gander

Thanks, VinylGeek, that helps a lot! Getting deja vu was also quite common at the old IMP. Lots of duplicate jewelry, t-shirts, and crap. And if you didn't like someone's prices or selection, just move down a few stalls and your chances improved.

For the Aloha Stadium, to me, the possibility of running into something cool definitely makes this worth seeing. No matter how junky or kitschy their tourist stuff is, there is always the possibility you may find THE thing you need as a souvenir, gift, or addition to your bar. This is what made the old IMP so interesting. Plus you could buy very nice and authentic made-in-Hawai`i aloha shirts for around $15.

I think it will take a few years for Waikiki and Honolulu citizens to realize what they lost despite the shortcomings of the old IMP. I'm waiting for the "IMP retro fests" to be announced in the future, that would be sadly hilarious. Or someone will build something nice like the old IMP again, but with controls in place to ensure it is quite a bit above what it was. Not everyone who visits Waikiki is a Saks millionaire shopper...

Has anyone been to the Aloha Stadium swap meet / marketplace? It might be another good alternative to the old / original / awesome International Marketplace of the past.
99% is foreign made junkola, the mom and pop's / siblings who haul their old belongings to sell are virtually nonexistent compared to 30+ years ago when the swaps were really good, you'd have a bit better luck down the road to the defunct Kam drive-in swap for chances at any cool stuff. I stopped going in the 90s.

Thanks msteeln! I'm sure there are others who will pull this info up ahead of their next trip to the islands. I know I will!

Frank