KANE'OHE — No longer is Kane'ohe just a place you drive through to get to someplace else.

A number of new retailers have opened in the area in recent years. A 14,500-square-foot Walgreens is scheduled to open in the former Star Market site adjacent to Kaneohe Bay Shopping Center early next year.

Windward Mall wrapped up a $23 million facelift this summer that has reinvigorated the shopping complex and lured long-term tenants and droves of customers.

Sales — and spirits — are up, and not just at the mall.

There's a noticeable increase in people all over Kane'ohe, picking up their cups of coffee at a drive-through Starbucks or working out at 24 Hour Fitness at Windward City Shopping Center — all which have opened in the last five years.

These changes — which have already brought crowded shopping areas, longer lines at grocery stores and congestion along neighborhood streets — are just another sign of urban progress in this once-sleepy town.

But it's the transformation of Windward Mall, which has long been a focal point for the community, that has been the most visible — and startling.

Aja Burghardt grew up in Kane'ohe, going to Windward Mall every weekend.

"It was the place to be," said the self-described shopaholic, laughing.

Now 28 and a mother of twin girls, Burghardt loves the family-friendly atmosphere of the 25-year-old mall, which underwent a yearlong renovation this year.

"It looks really nice now," Burghardt said, watching her daughters Rylie and Saraya climb a mountain made of soft urethane in a new play area for kids outside a 22,000-square-foot Borders.

"Before it was getting junk because a lot of stores were closing. But now, it's so much better."

The renovation was the first since the 1982 opening of the mall, which is owned by Kamehameha Schools.

The facelift to the state's sixth-largest shopping complex included the addition of new floors, palm trees, improved lighting, custom murals, etched glass, comfortable sitting areas and a new escalator.

In addition, new stores and restaurants were added to the tenant list, including a full-service Borders — with a popular Starbucks — that occupies a space that had sat vacant for 10 years. (The upper level is occupied by Regal Cinemas, which opened in 2001.)

The changes have proved to be a shot in the arm for the aging mall — and the entire community.

"I have seen Kane'ohe mature as a community from a place where people just slept, commuted to work and did all their business and recreation in town, to one where the community has become more self-contained and self-sustaining," said Roy Yanagihara, chairman of the Kane'ohe Neighborhood Board and longtime Kane'ohe resident.

"People not only have their homes in the community, but they work, shop and recreate here (now)."

WINDWARD MALL

The renovation provided a much-needed boost to Windward Mall, one of the top 10 real-estate assets for Kamehameha Schools.

The 25-year-old interior — the mall's original — was outdated and in dire need of an upgrade.

Occupancy had fallen to less than 70 percent in 2001, and longtime tenants recall years of dwindling sales.

Now, 96 percent of the mall space is filled and sales at in-line stores — those occupying less than 10,000 square feet of retail space — have risen 26 percent from July 2006.

"Our merchants have already seen a lot of activity, a lot more sales," said Jonathan Kim, the mall's general manager. "In the past 12 months, we've seen sales go up every month, even during construction (which was done at night). People came to the mall because they were intrigued, they wanted to see what was going on ... They're coming back — and in droves."

Since June, sales at the 68,000-square-foot Ko'olau Pets, one of the mall's original tenants, have risen about 20 percent.

Owner Napua Furtado credits the renovation for that, as more people are flocking to — and spending money at — the mall.

"I like everything about ... (the renovation)," said Furtado, 70, who's lived in Kane'ohe for more than 30 years. "It's very nice."

Though Ko'olau Pets has been at the mall since it opened 25 years ago — and been in business in Kane'ohe since 1974 — the store went through slump periods.

When J.C. Penney, which anchored that wing, closed in 1997, Ko'olau Pets was losing about $25,000 a month.

"I couldn't afford that," Furtado said.

For 10 years, the lower level of that space remained vacant, hurting business for Ko'olau Pets.

But after implementing some creative solutions — Ko'olau Pets opened a plant store in a vacant space nearby to supplement its sales — and waiting out the renovation, Furtado is optimistic about the future.

"You gotta take the good and the bad," she said, over the squawking of a crimson rosella in a cage outside her office. "I like change. I'm not one to stop progress. Progress is good for everyone."

BRIGHTER MOOD

Get Wet!, which has been at the mall for more than 20 years, has seen a slight increase in sales — around 10 percent — since the renovation.

Owner Kaiulu Downing said that while the increase in sales hasn't been substantial, she hopes the new look of the mall will bring more customers back.

"A lot of people haven't been to the mall for awhile," said Downing, 52, who lives in 'Aina Haina. "People need to come back and rediscover this mall."

Mary D'Avirro, 37, shared some takeout with her 4-year-old son, Nicholas, outside Panda Express last week.

In 10 years living in Kailua, D'Avirro would only shop at Windward Mall once a month.

But just in the past month, she's been to the mall at least six times, sipping a cup of Starbucks coffee while her sons enjoy the new play area outside of Borders.

She's already dined several times at Ruby Tuesday and IHOP, two of the newest restaurants at the mall.

"I think (the renovation) ... really brings a lot of life to this mall," said the mom, who works part-time with The Baby Hui. "It's just more inviting. It makes you feel like you're at a nice mall. Before it was really dark and old. Now, there seems to be more light."

Though the mall doesn't take official counts of its customers, anecdotal evidence — climbing sales, fewer open parking stalls — points to more people shopping at the mall since the renovation.

"You put more stores in, more restaurants in, the numbers will go up," said Sherrie Coronas, marketing manager at General Growth Management, which manages the mall. "And we're seeing that."

Windward Mall primarily serves residents from Waimanalo to Kahuku. But the completion of H-3 in 1997 — and the headache of meandering through current roadwork near and construction at Ala Moana Center — have lured patrons from around the island.

"We're definitely seeing a lot more traffic in terms of sales in the mall, more activity, more people walking around, the parking lot is fuller," said Cathy Camp, retail development manager for Kamehameha Schools. "There just seems to be a real positive feeling and energy at the mall now."

But customers aren't just flocking to Windward Mall.

There's a noticeable increase in people all over Kane'ohe, dining at Pah Ke's Chinese Restaurant, shopping at Ross, waiting for a table at Zia's Caffe or heading out to the Kane'ohe Bay sandbar during low tide.

"The mall has attracted more people to Kane'ohe since it was built, and people come from all over the island to shop there," Yanagihara said. "This has also led to an increase in business at the surrounding strip malls."

And with the influx of people moving into — or back to — Kane'ohe in recent years, spurred by lower housing prices or a nostalgia to return home, more businesses like Walgreens are opening up, while others are flourishing in a now-bustling community.

"In general, Kane'ohe is going through a change," said Sen. Jill Tokuda, D-24th (Kailua, Kane'ohe) and a lifelong Kane'ohe resident. "We've seen these changes for the last two decades. ... With the opening of the H-3 and everything being so close now, a lot of businesses are able to continue, to expand, to grow. We're seeing a number of shops opening up that weren't there before."

And while many longtime residents don't mind the change — especially the increase in options to eat and shop — most don't want Kane'ohe to lose that laid-back, country feel.

"My real hope is that as we grow and have this resurgence that we're still able to maintain the special uniqueness and character that's Kane'ohe," Tokuda said. "That's really important to a lot of us. I remember what it was like growing up here and I want to keep that country feel no matter how big our community gets.

"You know, when I drive through the tunnel (on Likelike Highway), it's like 10 pounds are lifted off my shoulders," Tokuda added. "It's a different feel to cross the Ko'olaus. And that's really important for us to hold onto, that sense of community, of identity, of place."

Reach Catherine E. Toth at ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.