Liberty House wasn’t just a store – it was an institution. For nearly 150 years, this kamaaina-owned business dressed generations of island families. I still remember shopping there with my mom for school clothes, the sales ladies knowing us by name.

The downtown Honolulu flagship on Fort Street was where every special occasion outfit came from. Graduation muumuus, wedding holokus, business attire for dad – Liberty House had it all. The store was known by natives as “Hale Kilika” or “the silk house,” and eventually adopted the slogan “Honolulu’s Kamaaina Department Store”.

The bankruptcy in 1998 hit locals hard. When Federated bought the remaining stores and converted them to Macy’s by 2006, it felt like losing a family member. The downtown store’s closure in 2013 was the final nail in the coffin.

Insider knowledge: Many former Liberty House employees went on to open their own boutiques around the islands, keeping that personalized service tradition alive.