It’s our birthday month! Born of the Water opened our doors at Ala Moana Shopping Center in March 2017. From now, until then, here are my honest thoughts of what we’ve experienced in the retail industry.

What People Want VS. What We Thought They Wanted

When Born of the Water first opened two years ago, our selection was limited to a few jewelry vendors and few bikini vendors. Although we got positive feedback from friends and clients about what we offered, we quickly learned that we were still not diverse enough. Owner Darwin, who also owns La Pearl Swim, realized that his collection only offered cheeky cuts which was not what the masses shopping at Ala Moana preferred. So, we decided to bring in other designers that were able to diversify our store in terms of varying coverages. We made it a point to showcase local artisans, that had offered unique swimsuit styles that wouldn’t be found anywhere else in the mall.

Our Biggest Struggles

Hawaii is arguably one of the bikini meccas of the world, which also means there is a TON of brands/stores that sell swimwear. As a small, local business it is often difficult to compete with large retailers who offer products at competitive prices. At Born of the Water, we constantly stressed to our potential customers that our swimwear brands were exclusive to the islands, of excellent quality and are unique/limited in production, but pricing was often still an issue (although our price points were relatively market value to other bikini stores).

Trying to stay afloat being at one of the largest malls in the country was a challenge, but we managed, and I definitely commend and respect other local brick and mortar businesses who are able to survive in the retail industry.

Embracing Changes

Many don’t realize that Darwin and I are a couple, and running a business with a significant other is extremely stressful on top of attempting to manage a relationship. Behind the scenes, running the store was definitely taking its toll on us, emotionally. A business is like a child; it demands 24 hour attention otherwise chaos and turmoil will ensue. So when our temporary lease was nearly up at Ala Moana, we decided we needed to do something much more manageable and way less intense. And that’s exactly what we did when we moved to our new location at South King Street!

It definitely is a huge change from Ala Moana, financially. However, Darwin and I agreed that the business would end up ruining us if we didn’t make a change; no amount of money is worth compromising for the stress we endured.

Our Takeaways

As a business, we've definitely learned where we can improve. We also learned just how difficult the retail industry is but we're not giving up anytime soon! We look forward to serving our local and tourist clientele for years to come. We just want to say mahalo nui loa to the individuals who support us!