Turning Obsession Into A Business
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Bruce Chin and Erica Apana offer an eclectic mix at
Split Obsession
She’s a diehard shopper. He’s an avid collector. So Erica Apana and Bruce Chin combined their hobbies to open a retail store in Koko Marina called - what else? - Split Obsession.
The store stocks clothes that are her obsession, and art that’s his.
Whether it is a sweater bubble dress or a toy rabbit with a cigarette in its mouth, the fun things found at Split Obsession might be created locally, nationally or internationally.
“We’re more like a concept,” explains Chin about the store. “Every quarter we will have an artist showing like a gallery.”
From 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 9, an artist showing features The London Police, who will do paintings. His T-shirts and stickers will be available for sale, and he also has a series of vinyl toys. His work was on display recently at the White Walls Gallery in San Francisco.
One of the prominent items in the boutique is the work of concert-poster artist Frank Kozik, who also makes vinyl toys. The Labbit are a series of rabbits smoking cigarettes in different designs. Kozik’s work includes Mongers, which are inanimate objects such as an ice cream cone or a banana, smoking a cigarette. Other works of art that make a statement include a gun vase from England-based company SuckUK - a ceramic gun serves as the vase holding a rose.
Chin, a Mililani resident who has done visual merchandising and retail operations for many years, says they’re both thrilled when customers appreciate their tastes.
With new inventory coming in every three or four days, the shop keeps active with the constant influx of merchandise. The day MidWeek visited, there was a fortune cookie, of which a customer may ask a question, then when the cookie is shaken, it displays an answer. Another item in the store is the eggling, a plant growing from an eggshell.
Apana’s fashions reflect her personal style.
“I’m reinventing myself every day,” says the Kamehameha grad. “So the clothes in the store are a reflection of that. When I get dressed it depends on my mood. So we have casual clothes and dressy clothes. The store’s selection is eclectic. I’m normally the one who’s overdressed at the party because it’s so much fun to dress up.”
To show the eclectic mix, one line of clothing from Fresh Karma includes a blouse that comes with a vintage belt, and the center panel is of a vintage fabric. Another line of clothing from Super Lucky Cat features a blouse made of scarves.
“There’s something interesting for everyone, whether it is a man, woman or child,” says Apana.
The Moiliili resident still works a 10-hour shift four days a week as a speech therapist at Kapiolani Women’s and Children’s Hospital in addition to shopping her heart out for the store.
Both Apana and Chin offer their solutions to the challenges of not having enough time.
“We work together to maximize our time,” says Chin.
“Communication is so important to help us balance our schedules,” added Apana.
Split Obsession is in Koko Marina at 7192 Kalanianaole Highway, Suite D-100. Hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 395-3380 or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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