Hilo Hattie sold

Hilo Hattie, one of the largest retailers of Hawaiian fashions, souvenirs and gifts, has been sold to a California-based owner of a chain of hair salons.
TOC Inc. purchased the 45-year-old privately owned company for an undisclosed amount, the company said Friday.
"I have the utmost confidence in TOC Inc's ability to successfully grow the company," Jim Romig, founder and chairman of Hilo Hattie, said in a statement. "Ted Nelson, a principal of TOC Inc., has over a decade of experience in doing business in Hawaii and currently owns the Hawaii region of Fantastic Sams hair salons."
Nelson is a principal in FS Hawaii Inc., which owns 18 Fantastic Sams hair salons on Oahu.
"Hilo Hattie is a strong retail company with an incredible history in Hawaii. We are truly committed to building and expanding its brand," Nelson said.
Romig started the business in 1963 on Kauai as Kaluna Hawaii Sportswear and began manufacturing aloha shirts and other Hawaiian-themed apparel on Oahu two years later. The company was renamed Hilo Hattie in 1979, after the death of the original Hilo Hattie, entertainer Clarissa Haili.
The company today has seven stores on Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island and two in Southern California. Hilo Hattie also is planning to open a new 20,000 square-foot flagship store at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center in Waikiki.
Employees were told of the sale on Friday afternoon. All retail stores and offices will continue to operate as usual, the company said.