RIP
1934-2011

When Doug Smoyer left us this week, he left behind a huge hole in the hearts of so many friends, Retailers, and Family Members. He will be missed.

Cruising
Doug loved the ocean, whether it be on a cruise ship in Alaska (Pictured Here) or on one of his two boats in Hawaii. One was a Yacht moored at the Waikiki Yacht Club; the other a Boston Whaler that he kept at his home in Kanaohe.

TGIF
Fridays afternoons were special; that’s when friends boarded his yacht in Waikiki and went out to watch the sailboat races, rainbows and sunsets.

The Vida Mia
It was only fitting when he and Joan got married that it be on the sea. We all gathered on the Via Mida, a very special yacht which is the sister boat to one owned by the Kennedy family.

Doug’s Big Day
Marrying Joan Smoyer was the highlight of Doug’s life. Many people, including me, tell Joan that she was the greatest thing that ever happened to Doug.

Better With Age
As the years went by, “EASY” and “RETAIL” got nicer, and Doug became a bigger and bigger influence on the lives of countless people in Hawaii, especially those in the retail industry.

“The Good Die Young”
I have heard that saying my whole life, and once again it proved to be true.

Aloha Mr. Retail, you will be in our hearts until we join you someday.

Doug Smoyer
1934-2011
RIP
Things People Had to Say About Doug
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Dear Ron-
Thank you for that wonderful tribute to Doug. My dear Douglass I miss him so.
Joan
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This is so great. What a wonderful tribute to Grandpa. 
Ron, 
Thank you so much for the tribute to Doug. That was beautiful. You definitely made me cry but so wonderful just to see Doug’s pictures. We sure do love him!
Aloha,
Rebecca Tillery,  (B), CCIM, RPA
Tillery Realty
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Ron - thank you for putting this together. I always admired the strength, intellect, and warmth of my Grandpa and it makes me so happy to see the influence he made on others. I miss him dearly.
Stephanie Cuttler
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Hi Ron,
Thanks for being a good friend to Doug. I am in the middle of management reviews but had a chance to see your website tribute to Doug.
He taught me a few things and that lives as long as I live. I will pass it on to the next generation…
Take care,
Paul Kosasa
President and CEO
ABC Stores
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Thanks Ron,
Totally agree.
Mitch D’Olier
kaneohe Ranch
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Aloha Ron,
Thank you for putting this together for Doug, Joan and all their many friends and assoicates. What a wonderful tribute to a great man and a dear friend.
Your the best,
Mahalo for keeping me in the loop.
 
I will never forget the first day I met Doug some 18 years ago, a afternoon luncheon discussing what else but the retail business. From that moment on Doug became a very important person in my life, he was a mentor, a dear dear friend, someone who I could always go to for the straight scoop and a brother!
We even attended the same high school in Tustin CA.
That is amazing as it was a small town back then.
We were blessed to have had Doug with us and for those that were honored to have know him, we will always carry his memories and the lessons learned with us throughout our lives.
Don Reaser
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Aloha Ron,
Well, this is really sad, I did not know he had passed.
Thank you for sharing.
Doug was terrific, always enthusiastic, and energized by retail.
He WAS Mr. Retail.
The industry and his friends will miss him greatly.  I am personally saddened as he was like a mentor, always asking me about our retail business and pushing me to think of new opportunities. He blazed the trail to Guam, and encouraged me to do business there.
He was passionate about work and life, and never stopped dancing.
Dave Erdman
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Aloha Ron…
I was shocked when I saw your email on Doug Smoyer…
I saw him on July 20th, when I went to his house to ask for some advise…The 3 of us spent a good 2 hours together (Joan was there)…I could see he enjoyed the dialogue…
Aloha,
Jeff Berman
JBJ ENTERPRISES
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Aloha Mr. Smoyer. You were, and always will be a “Legend”.
Joan, my family’s hearts and prayers are with you.
Gilbert Trevino
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 ”Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.”
-Flavia Weedn

Ron,

I did not know Mr Smoyer. But I recall several conversations where you spoke enthusiastically of your friend and his impact on retail in Hawaii - and of his impact upon your own life and career.
My condolences to you and his family and friends.
Your Friend,
Bruce Olsten
T-Shirt Factory
Maui, Hawaii
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When Doug Smoyer spoke, we listened.  He was a one of a kind retail guy that blended lots of retail experience with real estate.  He thought outside the box and at first blush, some of his ideas seemed crazy but after really giving them some thought, he was often right on the mark.  Miss the man and cherish some great memories of deals we made and his vision for retail in Hawaii and Guam. 
Joan–you are the best!  Love you both!
Barbara Campbell
Outrigger Hotels
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Doug Smoyer left a legacy in the retail world.
Most of us who have been in this business for sometime have encountered this brilliant maven.
My best recollection was Doug always had time for you.
I came to meet him over 20 years ago.
Doug shared his wisdom with anyone who would seek his advice.
In more recent times, Doug and I met just to catch up.
He had a million ideas and wanted to know if I would like to go into one business or another.
He had the zest of a young man eager to jump into the arena of life.
He lives on in all of us who have dealt with him.
As an aside, I truly enjoyed dancing with this man who always had that spark!
Thank you Doug for sharing your life with us all.
And to Joan; Eddie and I offer our deepest condolences.
Patty and Eddie Sherman
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Thanks Ron - what a wonderful remembrance. It was always a  pleasure to work with Doug and he shall be long remembered. Nice to have lasting happy pictures of his boat days. Aloha to a super person.
What a true gentleman in a difficult business! It was always a pleasure to meet with him and you always learned some thing that would be helpful. A delightful person through and through. His kindness and positive attitude will be greatly missed. 
Aloha and God bless you.
Jeannie Rolles
Outrigger Hotels
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Ron,
Thank you for sending your report and news of Doug. I hadn’t heard. Your pictures and words were beautiful!
How lucky we were to know him;
Take care & thanks again….
Cheryl Gallagher
Director of Sales
HONOLULU COOKIE COMPANY
 
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Hi Ron,
What a special friendship!  Thank you for sharing. 
I had the opportunity to meet Doug many years ago. 
He seemed like a great person.
He was certainly regarded as “Mr. Retail”.  
Wanda Kakugawa
Market Trends Pacific, Inc.
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Hi Ron,
Thank you for sharing Doug’s nice pictures,especially when he was still X-large. It was a nice Tribute.
Mahalo,
Aya from Noa Noa
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Thank you Ron for putting together this great tribute to my Dad. He truly lived life to its fullest. He was always passionate about the Retail business - always coming up with new ideas, keeping up with the trends, and always thinking!! Thank you for all of your love & respect - I was so blessed to have such a wonderful Dad.
Debi Cuttler
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 Hi Ron: 
I really enjoyed the beautiful sentiments expressed about Doug.
I wish I had known him better…
This was really a nice testament to his legacy.
Kulani Fernandez
 
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Thank you Ron,
I did meet Doug a couple of times and certainly knew his reputation.
Mary Flood
DR Horton
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Ron -
Everything has already been said so well. They don’t make them like that anymore. Our heartfelt condolences to Joan, We will all miss him so much.
A hui hou,
Victoria and Chuck Hill
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PTB thought the world of Doug… He wrote the book on “retail” and was a good, square and intelligent gentleman in a Waikiki world swimming in rascals…
He created a gift shop at Windjammer second  to  none.
He even had a Laura Brent kids clothing line.
Whenever I discuss “retail” I quote Doug — the United States Marine Corps is even using his concept at gift shop in Quantico Virginia
Fair Winds Doug,
Patrick Brent
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Ron;
Thank you for a wonderful tribute to a truly generous and big-hearted man. Doug Smoyer raised my brother and I… He was always a kind and caring father to us, which was truly special because he chose to be- we were his stepsons. He always made us feel loved and cared for, and raised us to adulthood. If I had been in his shoes, I’d have sent us brats to military boarding school. I would not be who and where I am today if not for Doug. He was the best father anyone could have, and I miss him.
Kaleo Maruoka

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Ny wife and I met Dougger the day he arrived in Honolulu. We had met him once in Reno at the store he was working in. But immediately after coming to Hawaii we both knew that this was someone special, totally reliable, and he became a very good friend.
Maggie and I moved to Colorado in 1991 and thought we would lose track of him, every time we got back to Hawaii, there was the Dougger. God bless him.
Bill and Maggie Thompson

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While one of the most knowledgeable men in retail and commercial real estate, Doug was also one of the kindest and most generous. He taught me everything I needed to know when I first started my ad agency here in Honolulu, Murata Creative. Coming from LA, I had to get smart about the coconut wireless and all of its intricate players, fast. He was amazing to me. And he didn’t have to be. Later, as I seasoned, I still turned to Doug for a smile, a warm hug, an inside and indepth look at what was really going on in the business, a speaker at a seminar I was moderating.
Joan, I first met on an ICSC trip at Vegas and we enjoyed lunch and I could see how happy she was with him.
Doug, you will be greatly missed but never replaced.
Aloha,
Anne Murata

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Joan,
Simply put, Doug was a great man. I think I see him different from Ron in the sense, that although I know part of his legacy is “Mr. Retail”, another part is that Doug blazed his own trail and never let life’s pitfalls such as Parkinson’s Disease stop him from not only dreaming but still living in the present. I have some great video when we were doing some preliminary shots for the PD video. There was a segment of raw video of Doug just talking that was so intriguing to me that I just let the video camera roll and listened. Doug stated that he didn’t care for some of the baggage that PD brought him but that he was grateful of the gifts it gave him which was overcoming struggles and appreciating life in general- the simple things, the truly meaningful things. This video is from 2008. I will dig it up and get it to you if you wish. I am blessed to have known him. I will miss him.
 
Much aloha,
 
Kevin

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Hi Ron,
A nice tribute here Ron. I met Doug a couple times with you and though I did not know him well, I could tell he was a wise man with a lot of Aloha.
Thanks for putting this up. I would not have known otherwise. My condolences to his wife Joan and other family members.
Aloha,
Bob McAllaster

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Ron, as you probably know, Doug Smoyer played a very special role in my life, and later in my wife, Linda’s life. We worked closely together on a variety of retail consulting assignments while I was living in Hawaii during the 1990’s. One in particular was the work we did together for Haseko-Hawaii’s proposed “Superblock” on Kaahumanu Street.

We shared not only a love of the retail business, but a love of fishing, boating and traveling. I remember the first time I introduced him to Linda. He adored her immediately, and told me to “Hang on to this one.” Well Doug, I did.

Linda and I spent our honeymoon on the island of Lanai at the Manele Bay Hotel. Doug brought his boat over to the island, and along with some close friends put together a fabulous honeymoon luau on Hulopoe Beach next to the hotel. What a party!!

Meeting Joan Simon was one of the real blessings in his life. Linda and I became acquainted with Joan and her “Noa-Noa” retail stores while leasing the proposed Lanihau Center expansion in Kona, HI. God bless you Joan for becoming the center of his universe, and the sparkle in his eyes. We love you for that.

We love you, Doug Smoyer, and feel so very thankful, and blessed that we knew you, and shared so many unforgettable memories during our travels in life. You will always hold a very special place in our hearts.

Aloha, Doug Smoyer!………….Until we meet again……

Bill & Linda Eddy

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4th of July 2008
What better place than Kaneohe Bay to spend the 4th of July? With the Kaneohe Marine Corp Air Field as a backdrop, and people enjoying the freedom we have here in America.

Captain Doug
Doug Smoyer keeps one of his two boats moored by his home on Kaneohe Bay and we were thrilled with the invitation to come along and just kick back and do whatever we felt like for the afternoon.

Joan Smoyer
As Doug safely piloted us out into the bay, wife Joan was content ro catch some rays.

iPhone Working Everywhere
I was happy to find that my iPhone worked just great on the bay, allowing me to stay in touch while enjoying the trip.

It’s a Japanese Thing
Masae was busy shooting photos of us all.

Sandbar
And the mass of boaters and party goers found the Kaneohe Bay sandbar the ideal place to kick back, eat, drink, swim, and even play volley ball in the water.

Hey Doug and Joan,
Mahalo for a great day, I hope we can do this again soon.

Waikiki Sailing Yacht Races

One of the real highlights of being on Oahu is watching the weekly yacht races off of Waikiki.

The best way to appreciate this event is to climb aboard a friend’s motor yacht, loaded with friends and goodies, and get out there with them.

Doug and Joan Smoyer

Our hosts on many of these Friday afternoons are Doug and Joan Smoyer. Joan owns Noa Noa and Doug is… well, I like to call him “Mr. Retail”. No one knows more about what’s going on in the world of retail than Doug. I treasure any opportunity I get to be with Doug.

Whale Watching

On this particular evening Masae was the official whale watcher. She spotted a mother whale and calf that were spouting about a hundred yards from the boat. 

I just “kicked back” and enjoyed it all.
Mahalo Doug and Joan

After a relaxing Kaneohe Bay day aboard Doug Smoyer’s yacht, he leaned over to me and said, “We need to do this more often”.
That was quite a lesson for me. After spending 17+ years of exchanging business ideas and suggestions with Doug, this may have been some of his best advice yet.
Being an admitted workaholic for almost a half a century, I have seldom taken enough time to stop and smell the roses (or salt air).
This day on Kaneohe Bay with Masae, good friends, fine wine and some tasty snacks was indeed memorable.
Don Ho’s words, “Keep your toes in the sand” were ringing in my ear.

Whenever I have the opportunity to sit and talk with Doug Smoyer; president of Retail Strategies, the thoughts and ideas that come up should be documented.
Too many times we meet, get excited about something, and then go off to our busy businesses leaving gold on the table.
Today, Masae and I are headed out to Kaneohe Bay with Doug and his wife, Joan (Owner of Noa Noa), on one of his yachts, and I am sure that we will return having had a good four hours of fun and fruitful discussions.
I am going to propose to Doug that on future get-togethers that I capture the essence of our discussions and post it right here for all to see today as well as in the future.
Stay tuned for photos from today as well as the outcome of this “proposal”.