#ANYWHERE ALOHA
When it was time to finally retire my pair of canvas sneakers from The Walking Company several years ago, I decided to upgrade to OluKai's leather-wrapped Pehuea Lī'ili that I noticed online. I'm not comfortable ordering shoes online, so I decided to look for this shoe at a couple of department stores at Ala Moana Center to buy it locally. However, I could only find this style featuring mesh and synthetic suede uppers and wasn't sure if the fit would be different with leather uppers. So, I checked my trusty Yelp app and found this OluKai store located on Kālia Road.
I called the number listed on this business page, and a friendly female (Bobbie?) answered my inquiries regarding their location and the availability of the shoe style and size I was looking for. She verified the store's location in the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort's Alii Tower and confirmed the availability of the Pehuea Lī'ili. I also asked if she had the shoe style in black leather and in stock, to which she replied no BUT since I was concerned about the shoe's fit, she invited me to come down to try the style in the other colors in stock and they would order the black leather shoes based upon my fit and have it delivered to my home at no additional charge. Well, since I had an upcoming appointment in town in a few days, I told her I'd make my way to the store.
A couple of days passed and I walked to the Hilton Hawaiian Village's Alii Tower where I immediately found the store based upon Bobbie's directions. Walking in, I was greeted with fond Aloha by three employees (Kāhea, Akoni and Brock) who were busy restocking and arranging their displays. I spoke to the female employee thinking she was Bobbie and thanked her for providing great directions to their store and asked to try on the Pehuea Līili. She corrected me by introducing herself as Kāhea and went into her inventory to get me two different sizes of the leather Pehuea Līili. I brought a pair of thin no-show socks to try on the shoes since the fit differs from the type of sock or if trying on barefoot. I know from previous experience with OluKai slippers that the shoes feature comfortable and anatomical footbeds and premium materials for its uppers. There's even a patented drop-in heel that easily converts the shoe to a slide. Best of all, I've never had to break-in the shoe or slipper.
Akoni completed the transaction for the shoe, confirmed my contact information and e-mailed the receipt. He assured me the shoe would be sent via FedEx and would arrive within 5 working days. The e-mail confirmation provided me with FedEx tracking number and you can bet that I excitedly waited for the delivery. Sure enough, my shoes arrived on the promised date.
You can't go wrong with a shoe, sandal, boot or slipper that you can wear in comfort right out from the box! Sure, these footwear are pricey but they're guaranteed (1-yr) to last through every street wear or beach.
By the way, OluKai has an upcoming opening for a new store in Chinatown but they've delayed store opening due to worker shortages caused by the pandemic. read more