North Shore NewsLong time North Shore retail icon, Global Creations, closed its doors on January 31st. “It has been an absolute honor, privilege and joy to promote local artists for more than 31 years on the North Shore,” said owner Helen Zeldes who started her well-known business at the Aloha Stadium Flea Market at the age of 22. Helen was known for bringing in exotic handcrafts from then relatively unknown places like Guatemala and Bali. “I run in to adults who tell me they got their high school (Guatemalan) backpacks at Global Creations“ and “now they bring their kids in to Global.” When she opened her first brick and mortar store in Haleiwa in 1990, local artists found her a welcoming audience. Being an avid environmentalist and believing in “shop local” before it was a thing, Global Creations quickly became a “go to” local art gallery. ”We love to support new and up and coming artists,” said Global Creation’s art curator, Shannon McPherson. Global is known for launching some of Haleiwa’s biggest art stars like Clark Little and promoting Heather Brown when she was just starting out. “I loved buying from and supporting the hundreds of talented local handcrafters I had the opportunity to support over my 17 years at Global,” said Global’s longtime employee, Johnette Wicker. “We treated our artists and each other like family” Colette Harris, the back office backbone of the business said “and everyone felt that aloha when they walked in the door.” Helen says she is looking for a new home on the North Shore for her beloved gallery but until then, thank you Global Creations for 31 years of good memories. You will be missed.
