International Market Place
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedAn open-air shopping, dining, and entertainment center in Waikīkī, Honolulu, originally established in 1956 and substantially rebuilt for a 2016 reopening.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
International Market Place is an open-air shopping, dining, and entertainment center in Waikīkī on the island of Oʻahu, Hawaii. The property occupies approximately six acres in a historically significant part of Honolulu and is associated with the Queen Emma Land Company, whose landholding derives from the estate of Queen Emma, the wife of King Kamehameha IV. The center’s revenues directly support The Queen’s Medical Center, linking the commercial property to a long-standing Hawaiian charitable and medical institution. The original International Market Place opened in 1956, before Hawaii became a state. It was created by Donn Beach, the restaurateur and entertainer better known as Don the Beachcomber, after he leased land from the Queen Emma Foundation. Beach developed the site as a commercial, retail, and entertainment destination rather than as a conventional enclosed mall. The early property combined shops, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and themed structures representing different parts of Asia and the South Seas. Its informal architecture, tropical landscaping, and performance venues made it an important part of Waikīkī’s visitor economy and nightlife. A prominent banyan tree became the defining physical and cultural feature of the original center. Beach built an office treehouse in the banyan, from which he observed activity throughout the property. The site also included the Dagger Bar, the Hawaiian Hālau, the Japanese Tea House, the Esplanade, and other village-style buildings. At its height, the marketplace contained roughly 50 shops, clubs, and restaurants. Its entertainment history included performances by Martin Denny, whose exotica music helped shape mid-century perceptions of tropical nightlife, and Don Ho, who performed regularly at the center before achieving wider fame. The original buildings deteriorated over time and were removed in 2013 as part of a complete redevelopment. Preservation efforts retained the major banyan tree, allowing the rebuilt center to maintain a visible connection with its past. International Market Place reopened on August 25, 2016, with a new open-air design, expanded retail and restaurant capacity, and interpretive elements commemorating Donn Beach and the site’s earlier cultural history. A reconstructed or commemorative Don’s Treehouse recalls Beach’s former office and the radio and entertainment activity associated with the property. In its modern form, the center has approximately 90 stores and 10 restaurants, serving residents, domestic visitors, and international tourists in Waikīkī. Its tenant mix has included fashion, specialty retail, beauty, food and beverage, and entertainment-oriented businesses. Saks Fifth Avenue formerly operated a three-level, approximately 80,000-square-foot full-line department store at the property and served as its principal anchor. Saks closed its Waikīkī location in summer 2022. Target subsequently opened a store at the center in October 2024, replacing the former department-store anchor and broadening the property’s everyday retail offer. The center is owned by Taubman and CoastWood Capital Group under a long-term ground lease from the Queen Emma Land Company, while Taubman leases and manages the project. International Market Place remains an active Waikīkī destination whose identity combines contemporary shopping and dining with preserved elements of Hawaiian, Polynesian, and mid-century Honolulu history.
History
The land occupied by International Market Place has roots in the history of the Hawaiian monarchy. King William Charles Lunalilo, the first elected king in Hawaiian history, used the area for his residence. He later gave the land to Queen Emma, the wife of King Kamehameha IV. Queen Emma became associated with a major humanitarian legacy, including the hospital that was established in her honor and later became The Queen’s Medical Center. The Queen Emma Land Company continues to own the land beneath the modern shopping center, while commercial activity at the site supports the medical institution through the property’s revenue structure. Donn Beach moved to Honolulu in the mid-1950s, when Hawaii was still a U.S. territory, and leased part of the Queen Emma Foundation’s land. In 1956 he established the original International Marketplace, developing it as a tropical commercial and entertainment village. Accounts of the project credit Beach and Pete Wimberly with conceiving the marketplace, reportedly imagining the idea informally before its construction. Beach commissioned the carver Edward “Mick” Brownlee to produce much of the original woodwork, helping give the center its distinctive handcrafted appearance. The first marketplace was deliberately different from a standard shopping complex. Its buildings and landscaped spaces evoked small villages associated with Korea, China, Japan, and the South Seas. The site included the Dagger Bar, the Hawaiian Hālau, the Japanese Tea House, and the Esplanade, along with numerous stores, restaurants, and nightclubs. A large banyan tree became the center’s best-known landmark. Beach installed a treehouse office in its branches, where he could oversee the marketplace below. The treehouse also became connected with Honolulu’s entertainment and broadcasting history. The center developed into one of Waikīkī’s notable nightlife and visitor destinations. At its peak, the original marketplace contained approximately 50 shops, nightclubs, and restaurants. Three restaurants were associated with Beach, including The Colonel’s Plantation and the Beef Steak and Coffee House. Performers at the venue included Martin Denny, whose exotica performances combined jazz-based arrangements with stylized jungle and tropical sounds, and Don Ho, who maintained a regular engagement at the marketplace before becoming a more broadly recognized Hawaiian entertainer. Radio personalities also used the treehouse and associated facilities, extending the site’s influence beyond its physical retail tenants. Beach received a House Resolution Tourism Award in 1957. He remained an important figure in the property’s identity until his death in Hawaii in 1989. Over the following decades, the marketplace experienced extensive tenant turnover and the original structures became increasingly worn. By 2013, the buildings were in such poor condition that they were demolished as part of a complete redevelopment. Preservation advocates successfully pressed for the retention of the principal banyan tree, which became the key surviving element of the historic site. The new International Market Place opened on August 25, 2016. The redevelopment transformed the property into a contemporary open-air shopping and dining center while incorporating references to the original marketplace and the broader history of Waikīkī. A commemorative plaque and the Don’s Treehouse feature recall Beach’s office and the site’s broadcasting and entertainment associations. The modern complex expanded substantially beyond the original retail format, eventually accommodating approximately 90 stores and 10 restaurants. The rebuilt center’s tenant strategy included premium retail, restaurants, specialty shops, and visitor-oriented services. Saks Fifth Avenue operated a three-level, approximately 80,000-square-foot full-line store and served as the main anchor for several years. That location closed in summer 2022. Target later opened a store at the property in October 2024, replacing the former anchor and introducing a more broadly accessible general-merchandise format. Today, International Market Place is owned by Taubman and CoastWood Capital Group under a long-term land lease from the Queen Emma Land Company. Taubman leases and manages the center. Its current identity rests on the combination of a large contemporary Waikīkī retail destination, a food-and-beverage venue, and a preserved cultural narrative centered on Queen Emma’s land legacy, Donn Beach, the banyan tree, and the entertainment history of the original marketplace.
- 2024
Target opens at the center
[1]Target opens in October as the replacement for the former Saks Fifth Avenue anchor.
- 2022
Saks Fifth Avenue anchor closes
[1]The former three-level Saks Fifth Avenue store closes during the summer, creating a major vacancy in the center’s tenant mix.
- 2016
Redeveloped center reopens
[1]The new International Market Place opens on August 25 with expanded retail, dining, and visitor facilities and historic references to the former site.
- 2013
Original buildings are demolished for redevelopment
[1]The deteriorated original buildings are removed to make way for a complete reconstruction; preservation efforts save the principal banyan tree.
- 1989
Donn Beach dies in Hawaii
[1]The founder of the original marketplace dies, although his name and treehouse remain part of the property’s later commemorative identity.
- 1957
Donn Beach receives a tourism award
[1]Beach is honored with a House Resolution Tourism Award in recognition of his contribution to Hawaii’s tourism and entertainment economy.
- 1956
Original International Marketplace opens
[1]Donn Beach establishes the original open-air commercial, retail, and entertainment marketplace on land leased from the Queen Emma Foundation.
Products and positioning
A Waikīkī open-air lifestyle center that combines contemporary retail, dining, and visitor services with the cultural, architectural, and entertainment heritage of the original 1956 marketplace.
Fashion and specialty retail · 1956
Retail stores
International Market Place hosts a broad collection of stores serving Waikīkī residents and visitors. The mix has included apparel, accessories, beauty, gifts, souvenirs, and other specialty merchandise. The modern center is designed as an open-air lifestyle destination rather than a single-brand store, so its retail offer changes with tenant arrivals and departures. The center has been described as having approximately 90 stores.
Food and beverage · 1956
Restaurants and food venues
Dining is a central component of the marketplace format. The current complex includes approximately 10 restaurants, supplemented by other food and beverage tenants. The offer serves tourists and local customers across casual dining, specialty food, and refreshment occasions. In the original marketplace, restaurants and nightlife venues were equally important to the center’s identity, including businesses associated with founder Donn Beach.
General merchandise · 2024
Target
Target opened at International Market Place in October 2024, taking the position formerly occupied by Saks Fifth Avenue. Its general-merchandise format expands the center’s everyday shopping offer beyond tourism-oriented specialty retail and provides a more accessible anchor for residents, hotel guests, and other Waikīkī visitors.
Entertainment and nightlife · 1956
Original International Marketplace entertainment venues
The original complex included nightclubs, bars, restaurants, and performance spaces. The Dagger Bar and other venues helped make the marketplace a Waikīkī entertainment destination, while performers such as Martin Denny and Don Ho connected the property with Hawaii’s mid-century music and nightlife culture. These original buildings were demolished in 2013 and are not current retail offerings.
Brand decisions
2024
Replacement of Saks Fifth Avenue with TargetOtherBackground
Saks Fifth Avenue closed its former anchor store during summer 2022, leaving a major retail space available at the center.
Action taken
Target opened at International Market Place in October 2024.
Aftermath
The center gained a general-merchandise anchor with a broader everyday-shopping proposition than the former luxury department store.
2016
Repositioning as a contemporary open-air lifestyle centerStrategyBackground
The redevelopment sought to restore the property as a major Waikīkī destination while maintaining distinctive historical and cultural elements.
Action taken
The new center opened with expanded retail, dining, and visitor facilities, including commemorative features such as Don’s Treehouse and the preserved banyan tree.
Aftermath
International Market Place returned as a substantially larger tenant-based shopping and dining destination serving both tourists and local customers.
2013
Complete redevelopment of the original marketplaceStrategyBackground
The original buildings had deteriorated substantially after decades of use and extensive tenant turnover. A wholesale reconstruction was selected rather than continued operation of the existing structures.
Action taken
The original buildings were demolished, while preservation efforts retained the principal banyan tree and historical references to Donn Beach.
Aftermath
The rebuilt open-air center opened in 2016 with a larger contemporary retail and dining format and a deliberately preserved connection to the site’s history.
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