Moviegoers at the Southern end of the island will have a facility closer to home by December if all goes according to plan.
The Agana Shopping Center is in negotiation with Tango Inc. a subsidiary of Tan Holdings Corp. for a three or four screen movie theater.
Tango which does business as Micronesia Mall Theatres and manages a 12 (?) screen-theater at the Micronesia Mall has submitted design plans.
Francisco V. “Kit” Lanuza general manager of Micronesia Mall Theatres told the Journal “We have done our feasibility studies and are waiting for approval.”
The facility planned by Tango is 12 000 square feet and will be located on the second floor of the main building. The second floor has not as yet opened to tenants. He said “It is a third of the size of the mall but it is the same thing we are offering here. If the board of directors of Agana Shopping Center says yes we will go ahead.”
He said a refreshment facility was also planned. “It is almost the same setup as we have at the mall.”
Construction of the movie theater facility was estimated at about $4 million. Lanuza said “Tango and Agana Shopping Center will be sharing in expenses. We want to start it by August — the sooner the better — and open by December.”
He said patrons would find the same offerings as at other locations on Guam. “It will have the same blockbuster movies as the mall and Wallace Theaters [in the Guam Premier Outlets] are offering.”
Lanuza said feasibility studies determined target audiences. “We have a broad target market. Audiences would include most of the people from the south including the military and teenagers.”
Tes C. Reyes assistant general manager and marketing director for Agana Shopping Center told the Journal that the second floor of the main building was still being planned. “Nobody has been signed to the second floor yet. When they are signed you will see a sign saying ‘Coming soon … ’ and the name of the business.”
She said plans for the second floor were still subject to some changes “depending on the final concept.”
Construction of the Agana Shopping Center was planned in three phases: Phase I the former Town House area; Phase II between Pay-Less and Phase I and Phase III the wing perpendicular to Phase II.
The new Agana Shopping Center broke ground on March 12 2003 and presently has 36 tenants. The newest of these is ABC Electronix which opened on June 5 as the first store on the ground floor of Phase II of the shopping center. The sole proprietor of the 6 000 square-foot store selling electronic goods is Albert C. Cayanan.
Cayanan has worked in the electronics industry for 25 years lastly with K. Sadwhani’s Inc. which does business as Tick Tock. He told the Journal “I know every third or fourth person that comes in.” Cayanan said business has been good to date.
He aims to offer best prices on products. ABC Electronix stocks Panasonic and Coby goods AT&T phones and answering machines Uniden phones and two-way radios MP3 players and portable DVD players. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Cayanan runs the store supported by family members. He said “It’s a small operation basically.”
He said he was attracted by the center because “It is an up-and-coming mall newly renovated and located in central Guam. I want to cater to people from northern Guam as well as people from the south who don’t want to drive to Micronesia Mall or Guam Premier Outlets.”
Cayanan said he thought rents were competitive and he found the center management accommodating. “Agana Shopping Center is a good group of people to work with.”
Other stores include long-time tenants such as A-One Shoe Store Esprit GNC Gino’s Lau’s Jewelry and Payless Markets Inc. New entries to the center and/or the market are Casa Nami Capricciosa HafaTel Java Junction Pacific Trading Club Redline Motorsports and Western Union. The Pay-Less supermarket occupies about 20 000 square feet and Gino’s — junior anchor tenant — about 5 000 square feet.
A Shirley’s Coffee Shop and Taco Bell/Long John Silvers restaurant are free- standing tenants.
Services now cover a wide range — from food and drink outlets to beauty and fashion stores and from electronic and communication outlets to stores to tempt spontaneous purchase.
Possibly evidencing confidence in the future of the center and the island economy in general a number of stores are owned by longtime business and community members branching out as small business owners. Keith Farrell former general manager of Dick Pacific Construction Micronesia and Joyce Tang attorney at Civlle & Tang have partnered to open the Java Junction coffee shop at the center; E.J. Calvo marketing manager at Calvo’s Insurance Underwriter’s Inc. will launch Pacific Trading Club a bar and grill; and Rolenda Fassuamalie marketing administrator at the Guam International Airport Authority is a partner in Sol Juice. MBJ
