I wanted to give a 5 out of 5 star review, but due to a variable customer experience ranging from…read moreabysmal to excellent, I am giving a 4 star rating.
Starting with the parking lot, (+1) the monkeypod trees are nice, good for shade and cover. I appreciate still nature. (-1) Beware the pigeons, minah birds, and finches that fly over and poop and pee mid-flight and while they're perched. (-1) There are also hens and roosters that make noise and draw flies sometimes. They dig holes and make messes.
This leads me to the commons areas that have dining tables, umbrellas, and outdoor seating. There are also benches. There is a larger commons area at the Mexico Lindo corner for family gatherings. Good place to sit on hot days and to be around fellow patrons for extroversion. Rain still cuts through.
I know that KSC can't really help who shows up, but I'm going to say that (-1) sometimes there are pests run by their own group "ethic". They don't keep their snap judgments to themselves which made my personal experience quite variable instead of a positive experience. (-1) When the pests outnumber casual shoppers, everyone becomes rude, passive-aggressive, and threatening. Typically casual shoppers who are not as tense become hostages to the feels.
The lot is cleaned well. (-1) When trash bins are not in working order, they are not promptly repaired I noticed. However, (+1) HBM staff tidy up the parking lot, walkways, and commons areas by sweeping and utilizing leaf blowers, and they also empty trash bins every day, multiple times. (+1) They have a recycling bin on the lot.
Venues:
Lanikai Juice provides healthy and tasty meals, and they have good merchandise.
Aloha Salads -- I've never tried eating there yet.
Paniolos Kailua -- I've never tried eating there yet. The logo looks cool.
Mala Market -- I've never tried eating there yet. I like the name.
Dog Bakery seems like a cool place for the pets. It looks friendly inside, and the workers look hospitable. I remember when it used to be Subway.
Stir Beverage? ?????
Mexico Lindo has good food. They're kind to all of their customers. I generally stay away from the area if I am not going to eat over there.
Island Snow Hawaii has awesome clothing. The quality and relevance of what they offer is what I like. Their shaved ice treats are sweet, good cold for hot days.
Kailua Harley Davidson looks cool.
Kailua Nails Care -- haven't tried it.
The Salty Babe -- I don't really understand the concept, and I don't go in there.
SoHa Keiki Kailua -- I don't go in there. There is a lot for younglings. It's well-lit.
Classic Waves Boutique -- I don't go in there.
Morning Brew is one of my favorite coffee shops of all time. They keep to themselves, yet they are personable, and that's (+1) definitely something I appreciate. They're uniquely tolerant. The manager and owner there are both warm, experienced, awesome individuals. Also, they have good music playlists from morning to afternoon! Good acoustics, too.
Note to be careful in the front seating of Morning Brew, as handicap parking is right out front and there was once an "internal parking" issue before. Also, handicap walkway ramps right out front.
Windward Jewelers does great work on jewelry.
AT&T Store -- I don't go in there, but their staff seem cool and competent.
Cornerstone Chiropractic -- I haven't tried it. I crack jokes about it.
Donut King has some good donuts.
Bookends is also a favorite on the lot. The workers are knowledgeable. A humble place to browse peacefully.
New Kamana Kitchen -- I haven't eaten there yet. I read the menus. You'll get exactly what it is that you're ordering, and they have the passion to make it, I feel.
Tokyo Central is actually an amazing grocery store with a deli and fish market. The prices there are competitive. Tokyo Central has a lot of food and drinks directly imported from Japan.
Overall, I enjoy KSC. (+1) On days where people seem free, not "going through hell" and being combative that way, happy, moods uplifted, it's one of the best shopping centers around, I assure you. (+1) There aren't two days that are the same. (-1) Major complaint about the energy on the lot when people and policer anxieties ramp up, especially because of events, (-1) and it's twice as frustrating for me that regulars good with me suddenly becomes two-faced, moved by emotional contagions, leaving me with mild bewilderment. (-2) It would be nice if the lot didn't become concerned with bathroom users. Inferences made that create assumptions cause people paranoia which sometimes increases beyond reason--security and sometimes workers at that point turn unreasonable. Coffee is a diuretic. (+1) Recently, the security there has been much more tolerant, though. That much is true.
I listen, I watch, I sometimes interact whether or not I am "allowed" to, and I mind my own business the majority of the time. They often play music from a Hawaiian radio on the speakers, I've heard.