The only Hawaii-specific shop in Seattle will shut its doors by the end of November.

Gail Stringer, an Oahu native who opened the Hawaii General Store at 258 NE 45th St. in 1998, told KIRO 7 she can no longer absorb rising costs. The shop sells snacks, shirts, leis and ukuleles imported from the islands. It has served as a gathering spot for Seattle's Hawaiian community for 28 years.

"To keep sinking and sinking, like so many other businesses are, I just can't," Stringer said.

Before the store closes, Stringer is hosting a farewell Hawaiian party with a store-wide sale and live music on Saturday, Oct. 17.

The closure lands in a Wallingford commercial district that has lost several longtime anchors. Blue Star Cafe and Pub ended a 50-year run on Feb. 1. Kabul, the neighborhood's Afghan restaurant, closed at the end of 2025 after more than 30 years.

Kate's Pub shut down in 2025 after two decades, with owner Kate Barrett citing rising costs and pandemic debts, according to Seattle Met.

Stringer pointed to several pressures squeezing small operators. The Bureau of Labor Statistics pegs greater Seattle's inflation rate at 4.4%, above the 3.4% national average, according to the KIRO 7 report.

Seattle's minimum wage rises to $22.14 per hour on Jan. 1, 2027, up from $21.30. The increase applies to all employers regardless of size. The temporary tip-and-benefit credit once available to small businesses expired in 2025.

A September report by the consulting firm ECONorthwest, commissioned by the Downtown Seattle Association and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, found that Seattle tax revenue grew 172% between 2013 and 2025. Total collections rose from about $900 million in 2013 to $2.8 billion in 2026, according to Fox 13 Seattle.

Of the $1.08 billion in tax growth since 2018, 83% fell on businesses. The report noted Seattle lost roughly 18,000 jobs in the year ending March 2025 but did not establish that the city's tax structure caused those losses.

The store's struggles are not new. In July 2024, the neighborhood blog Wallyhood flagged the shop as at risk of closing, citing a Vanishing Seattle post. At the time, the store said it had always prioritized community over profit.

Stringer told KIRO 7 she sees small businesses as canaries in the coal mine and urged city and state leaders to act. She said any help would come too late for her own shop.

The farewell party starts Saturday, Oct. 17, at 258 NE 45th St. in Wallingford.