Success in retail proves if shirt fits, wear it
BY NOW, we all know the importance of the number 8 in Chinese culture.
Loukie Wong didn’t give it much thought, however, when she named her new business venture in 1988. After seven years operating retail kiosks in Waikiki, Wong’s main priority was to commemorate the opening of her first retail store-front.
“Before, I only have one,” she said of the kiosks. “After one year I have three, and then later on I move to International Marketplace.”
Two decades after first opening, 88 Tees now boasts three locations in Waikiki and a fiercely loyal following among Japanese tourists.
Inside her second-floor store on Kalakaua Avenue across from Planet Hollywood, framed pictures of Wong with various Japanese celebrities line the walls. Many appear to be have been taken amid the same stacks of T-shirts that monopolize the space in her stores.
Wong serves as the public face of 88 Tees and maintains an active role in its operations with her husband, Ming. The two have a daughter, Mika, who will graduate from Hawaii Preparatory Academy next year with plans to attend art school.
“She really does inspire me,” Mika Wong said about her mom. “I really want to learn graphic art design. But I’m going to come back so I can help.”
While they’ve talked about a transition, Loukie Wong insists she has no plans to retire, so her husband will keep running 88 Tees’ production facilities while she manages the retail side of the business.
Eventually, Mika have an opportunity to step up and take over.
“Now I training her,” said Wong with a smile. “But I stick around … I watching her.”
With more than 40 employees, including two managers who started as cashiers in 1988 and remain with the company, 88 Tees continues to enjoy success in an industry that has enjoyed significant growth over the past few years.
When she started, Wong’s best-selling products weren’t necessarily T-shirts, thanks to competitors who tried to under-cut her prices. After turning to vintage Levis and other types of clothing that weren’t readily available in the ’90s, she has since re-focused her efforts.
“Yeah, mostly T-shirt right now,” she said of her sales, about 80 percent from Japanese visitors. “Everybody so slow right now, I’m really happy that I have a good life and business (is) OK.”
As she enters her third decade in business, Wong hopes to keep her established fans happy while exposing 88 Tees to a broader spectrum of potential customers.
To do that, she’s ordered a limited number of commemorative T-shirts, coffee mugs and Zippo lighters that should be available for purchase this week. Along with being collectibles, Wong hopes the gesture shows how appreciative she is of the support she has received over the years.
“Right now, more people know (about 88 Tees) … more local people and more American people know,” she said. “I’m so thankful … they recognize the name.”
Locations:
>> 2168 Kalakaua Ave. No. 2; 922-8832
>> 2250 Kalakaua Ave.; 922-8801
>> 2310 Kuhio Ave. 1B; 922-8822
On the Net: www.88tees.com
—–
Everybody so slow right now, I’m really happy that I have a good life and business (is) OK.”
Loukie Wong
Owner, 88 Tees
—–
