Prince Kuhio Plaza facts for kids
The outside view of Prince Kuhio Plaza, with Sears and T.J. Maxx
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| Location | Hilo, Hawaii |
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| Address | 111 East Puainako Street |
| Opening date | 1985 |
| Management | Brookfield Properties Retail Group |
| Owner | Brookfield Properties Retail Group |
| No. of stores and services | 65 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 |
| Total retail floor area | 495,277 square feet (46,012.7 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
Prince Kūhiō Plaza is a large shopping mall in Hilo, Hawaii. It is the biggest enclosed mall on the entire Island of Hawaii. A shopping mall is a building with many different stores and restaurants inside.
The main stores, called anchor stores, are Sears, two Macy's stores, TJ Maxx, and Petco. You can also find a movie theater with 9 screens and a Longs Drugs store there.
The mall is named after Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole. He was an important leader from Hawaii. He served in the United States Congress from 1903 to 1922.
The History of Prince Kūhiō Plaza
In 1977, a group called Orchid Isle Group got permission to build a shopping center. They leased a large piece of land, about 39 acres, in Hilo. This area needed more places for people to shop.
The mall officially opened its doors in 1985. It quickly became a popular spot for shopping and fun.
Over the years, new stores have moved into the mall. In 2001, Macy's took over the Liberty House store. Two years later, Macy's also took over the JCPenney store. This new Macy's store sold men's, children's, and home goods.
In 2013, First Hawaiian Bank opened a branch inside the mall. This made it easy for shoppers to do their banking.
More popular stores arrived in 2015. These included Old Navy and Pier 1 Imports.
However, some stores also close. On January 29, 2021, it was announced that the Sears store would be closing. It was part of a plan to close 23 Sears stores across the country. The Sears store at Prince Kūhiō Plaza closed on April 18, 2021.
