About Leather Soul
Leather Soul opened its doors in Downtown, Honolulu back in 2004. Its main goal was to provide businessmen in Honolulu, a comfortable, classy store for all their footwear needs.
In August 2005, Leather Soul’s second location was opened in Waikiki, Honolulu. Specializing in Alden and Edward Green footwear, Leather Soul’s Waikiki “Office” was an intimate haven away from the hustle and bustle of Kalakaua Avenue.
January 2008 marked the opening of Leather Soul’s first location in the Royal Hawaiian Center. A little over 2 years later in March 2010, Leather Soul moved to its current flagship location overlooking Kalakaua Avenue.
Leather Soul’s motto is, “From our soul to your sole.” We strive to provide a personal touch and create relationships with our clientele. We are the anti-Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. We are shoe-lovers first and foremost. Thank you for helping us grow and being a part of our journey, step by step!
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Leather Soul Waikiki Staff
(Left to right, Laurence, Tom, Takuya, Kuni, Ken)
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Thomas Park : Founder, Owner
Tom’s love of shoes began at the age of 5 when he was given his first pair of Nike Air Jordan basketball shoes. Since then, he has gone through hundreds of pairs of shoes and his current collection includes about 50 pairs of Aldens, 12 Edward Greens, 4 pairs of John Lobbs, and a few bespoke shoes by George Cleverley.
After graduating from Iolani School and the University of Hawaii, with 9 months at Konan University in Kobe, Japan, Tom has worked in luxury retail sales and management, finance with a major Wall Street firm, and in the luxury automobile industry before deciding to follows his dream and open Leather Soul.
Tom enjoys playing tennis, has a keen interest in watches and automobiles, loves to travel, and supports University of Hawaii sports and his beloved Atlanta Braves. His favorite activity however is spending quality time with his Son, Jaeden.
Tom was named the US Small Business Administration’s 2008 Young Entreprenuer of the Year for the State of Hawaii.
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Takuya Hoshino : Manager, Waikiki Store
Takuya joined Leather Soul in 2008 with a proven track record of successful sales experience in Tokyo, JAPAN. A graduate of the very prestigious KEIO University in Tokyo, the ever studious Takuya has recently passed the rigorous Certified Public Accountant examination.
Having spent his teen years in New York, Takuya is well versed in English as well as his native language, Japanese.
Takuya’s kind personality and hard working nature makes him a great person to deal with. His shoe collection is growing day by day and includes several pairs of Aldens, Edward Greens, and Gaziano & Girlings.
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Bryan Yamashita : Manager, Beverly Hills Store
Bryan and Tom met back in 2001, while working together for a major Wall Street firm. Throughout the past 9 years, their friendship grew and when Tom needed someone to trust to run the Beverly Hills store, Bryan was willing to take the opportunity and move to California for his friend.
A graduate of the prestigious Punahou School (President Obama) and the University of the Pacific, Bryan brings over 10 years of financial industry experience and of course, a love of shoes.
During his free time, Bryan enjoys playing golf and watching sports. His shoe collection includes 7 pairs of Aldens and 2 pairs of George Cleverleys.
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Kuninori Kiyono
Originally from Tokyo, Japan, Kuni has been living in Hawaii for 10 years now. A graduate of Nihon University in Tokyo, Kuni has a wealth of experience in sales and management, specializing in leathergoods, jewelry, and high end watches.
When not hard at work, Kuni enjoys spending time with his son and wife. His hobbies include tennis and swimming. Kuni also has a passion for Native American art and visits reservations to meet with friends and to learn about the Native American culture.
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Ken Morimoto
Ken brings years of experience to our Leather Soul family. His experience in customer service will be an asset to Leather Soul.
Since 1991, Ken has worked overseas in Japan and Thailand, as a director and consultant for companies dealing with Japanese companies such as Toyota. Most recently Ken was a top salesperson at Tourneau.
Ken’s calm, sincere personality and dedication to keeping in touch with his clients are his best attributes. Having lived in Japan for many years, Ken is also fluent in the Japanese language.
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Laurence Oshiro
Laurence joined Leather Soul back in 2005 to help man the first Waikiki store. With a proven record of very successful sales in high-end fashion houses and jewelry boutiques, Laurence’s extensive experience is an asset to Leather Soul.
A “workaholic,” Laurence enjoys spending any free time he has with his wife and family. He enjoys traveling to Korea and Japan. Laurence’s favorite meal is Korean style yakiniku.
Laurence’s calm and relaxed demeanor helps to make working with him a comfortable and pleasant experience. He is also well versed in the Japanese language.
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February 20, 2007
A message from Tom…
Aloha friends and thank you for visiting our humble home on the world wide web.
My goal is and always will be, to provide a special service to my clients. I am in the business of making life long friends. I am not here just to sell you shoes. I strive to gain your trust, meet and go beyond your expectations, and share my love of shoes and fashion with you.
We at Leather Soul are not here to be in a battle of price with you. There are many other retailers both online and locally that will be more than happy to give you a deal. On the other hand, we are here for you. Call us, email us, visit us at our store. We would love to meet and “talk shoes” with you. We want to get to know you. I will try my best to offer you a fair price, but the real value is the relationship I can offer.
I would only like to ask one favor of you…please respect us as well. Please do not use us against other retailers. Please help us keep the integrity of our name by respecting what we can offer you. Many of our offerings are unique and made with passion and offered with pride. Please do not hurt our integrity, or the integrity of other retailers, by pinning us against eachother.
If you are looking for a deal, please go elsewhere. If you are looking for a great product at a fair price with an honest relationship, give us a try.
Aloha and Mahalo,
Tom Park