New hope emerges to save Seattle’s beloved Hawaii General Store

SEATTLE - A longtime Wallingford specialty shop slated to close at the end of the month may get another chance after several prospective buyers expressed interest in taking over the business.

Hawaii General Store, which has operated in the Seattle neighborhood for nearly three decades, currently displays a "Closing Sale" sign outside running through Nov. 23. However, owner Gail Stringer said multiple families have recently stepped forward to potentially preserve the shop.

"There are about three or four families who have stepped up now," Stringer said. "It gives me so much hope."

Search for a new caretaker

What they're saying:

Stringer, who was raised in Hawaii and has owned and operated the store for 28 years, plans to step away to begin a new chapter. Despite preparing to move on, she acknowledged the emotional weight of leaving the business behind.

"28 years and this store really kind of means everything to me," Stringer said. "My kids mean a lot, too, and my family and my friends, but this store is very much my baby."

Stringer hoped to find a successor who would honor the shop’s culture.

"I know there must be someone out there who really wants to be the next kahu, the next caretaker, of the store," Stringer said.

A neighborhood staple built by artists

The backstory:

Over the decades, the store has served as a go-to destination for both longtime regulars and first-time visitors looking for Hawaiian gifts, sweet treats, crackseed, ukuleles and fresh leis for graduations and special occasions.

"The lei, what is behind a lei, really carries through," Stringer said. "When somebody sews a lei, you know, you do it with intention."

The space itself features personal artistic touches, including a mural of Hawaii’s Kohala Mountains painted on the back wall by Stringer’s father, a former architect and artist in Hawaii.

"This place was really created by artists," Stringer said. "We’ve done a lot of things to create this space."

Local perspective:

Customer Tim Amish noted that the dedication behind the business is immediately apparent to those who walk inside.

"You can really see that a lot of passion went into this place," Amish said.

Following the closure announcement, Stringer said she was overwhelmed by the reaction from patrons and the broader community.

"I knew people would be sad, but I wasn’t prepared for the true outpouring of support," Stringer said. "It’s been amazing. It’s really sweet."

She noted that the shop’s impact stretches across generations, making the prospect of shutting down difficult.

"There are so many people out here who have generations of memories tied to this store," Stringer said. "I’m realizing that closing it is kind of the end of a lot of people’s dreams and I really don’t want to do that."

Stringer also credited her staff and patrons for sustaining the business for nearly three decades, noting that her employees over the years have been like family. While negotiations remain in the early stages, she hopes a new generation of owners will keep the storefront running into next year.

"I have hope that, you know, when graduation rolls around next year, people will have the place to get their leis, when people need their crackseed it’ll be here," Stringer said.

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