Kou, milo and koa rocking chairs, and lamps with
hand-painted shades are among the gift-giving treasures
at Nohea Gallery, also at Ward Warehouse.

Many small shops and stores on Oahu offer unique products in atmospheres that are inviting and alluring, even comforting. Our staff of shoppers surveyed the field and selected the following places - some old, some new - based on the quality of goods and service, ambience and ties to Hawaii and the Pacific region.

Many of these stores' proprietors say that while they are up against big-time retailers, they believe they have more of what people want and in a setting that allows buyers to put more thought into gift-giving. They all emphasize service, service, service.

Every home could use the Art Plantation's
"Abo Nini Global Tribal Units."

The Art Plantation is run by a hui of island artists - Victoria Gail-White, Aaron Hammer and Janet Holaday - and carries works by 60 other artists and crafts people. There are paintings by the Alex Steelsmith, hand-turned koa pieces by Ricardo Dellera, exquisite textiles and clothing by Melissa Arnold, evocative autobiographical serigraphs by Cora Yee and hand-woven rag rugs by Faith Milnes.

Holaday says the Art Plantation is more than a place to shop. "We want to promote and educate people on local arts and crafts," she says. "We want to be a venue, a center for all the arts."

To that end, Art Plantation offers classes and lectures about the arts. But for holiday giving, it offers more: ceramics and pottery, silk-screened hand towels, Louis Pohl prints, slumped glass, jewelry, scarves, paper products, sculpture, metal work, Asian antiques and many other quality art pieces. Take time to examine the whimsical dolls/sculpture called "Abo Nini Global Tribal Units."

The airy, warmly lighted shop is packed with goods: original paintings by the increasingly popular Brenda Cablayon, hand-crafted jewelry, glass ware, sculptures, stationery, vases, pottery, sculpture, ceramics, prints, baskets and hundreds of other distinctive products.

Nohea Gallery offers an extensive inventory of wood pieces, from pens, card cases and chess sets to milo and koa bowls, from jewelry boxes and chests to a silky-to-the-touch koa rocking chair. Lamps with shades painted with vines, cherries and peaches charm the shopper.

The store represents more than 450 artists, many of them from Hawaii. Unlike other art galleries - mostly from the leaping whales school of art - the Barons do not pressure customers. People wander freely through the store and the Barons can answer any questions one may have about a piece.

Above, LP bowls available from EarthWare;
an exterior view of Ralston Antiques & Collectibles.

The store is sort of an Earth-friendly, local-products variety store. There are recycled goods, such as old LPs shaped into bowls with the original record labels still attached, from Volcano; and cards and writing paper, from Maui.

Shoppers will also find organic cotton clothing, including an EarthWare exclusive shirt depicting a petroglyph from Puako on the Big Island; jewelry; allergy-safe lipsticks in wood cases; skin care products from Alexandra Avery of Kailua and from Hawaiian Botanical Island Co. in Kilauea, Kauai; aromatherapy products; organic shampoos and lipsticks in wood cases.

There are small toys for children, glass ware, journals and environmentally safe pet care and laundry products. Corinne DeMott, a sales person, says the philosophy of the store is to educate the public "and to bring in to Hawaii safe and natural products at reasonable prices."

Woo tries all of the products before deciding to stock them. "If she doesn't like it, she won't sell it," DeMott says.

Carved gourds of every dimension are available at
Native Books & Beautiful Things.

This downtown shop has won several community and business awards for good reason. The products are unique, reflecting Hawaii's diversity of cultures and creative elements. There are hand-carved gourds, handmade wood pieces, Niihau shell leis, lava lavas, foods, ukulele covers, muumuus, uli uli, aloha shirts, drums, ceramics, needlework, tank tops and T-shirts with Hawaiian designs, dresses, ikat shirts and blouses, baskets, hand-made silver jewelry, woven bags and, of course, books.

The store's nooks and corners and its high walls hold some of the nicest treasures, so plan to spend some time in NB&BT. Even if you don't find the perfect gift, you'll share conversations with some of the most mellow "retailers" in Hawaii.

Some of the "positive-energy" wares from
East of Sun - West of Moon.

The store combines a new age atmosphere with a touch of the '60s and the hippie era. Indeed, some of the products therein are the same as those that flower children coveted: India-printed bedspreads, gossamer-thin blouses in patterned mixtures of turquoise and purple, loose drawstring pants, woven bags, beaded necklaces and earrings.

Inder and Terri Kapur fill their niche in Ward Warehouse with an international collection of goods. They view the store as a place with items that "inspire and lift your spirits," Terri says, "that make your heart sing."

The friendly proprietors delight in the items they sell. Inder describes enthusiastically the one-of-a-kind Afghan jackets he managed to get out of Afghanistan before the civil strife closed down shipments. The store stocks new age music, crystals and sculptures, aroma products, hand-tooled and hand-painted boxes and chests, rain forests necklaces, jewelry from Africa, India and South America, unique clothing, decorative items such as collage picture frames, woven cane bags and meditation products.

The Kapurs like to talk about the positive energy and spirit they try to project in their business and the atmosphere there is chatty, more like a gathering than a retail outlet.

A colorful array of feather hat bands, made by
Big Island artists, can be found at Kamuela Hat Co
in the Ward Warehouse..

Owners John and Rebecca Sullivan's store "brings a little bit of Waimea" to Honolulu, DeMello says. Western shirts, slacks, jeans, skirts, vests, jackets, boots and leather goods are the mainstays. And if you want a certain kind of hat and can't find it in the store, the Sullivans will hunt it down.

But the most striking items in the store are the Hawaiian-style feather hat bands, made by five different artists on the Big Island. The bands range from the iridescent pheasant-feathered ones to more subdued brown and orange styles. While the store in Ward Warehouse has been open less than a year, the Sullivans have been in the business a long time. Their first endeavors took place in booths at Crater Festivals held inside Diamond Head crater in the early 1960s. Long time.

Island Provisions at Vagabond House could have just
the thing for your living room or kitchen, such as
these large ceramic plates.

Further inside, a quilt-covered bed cradles chenille teddy bears and crescent moon pillows. An old-fashion bathtub nearby holds soaps, lotions and potions and soft, fluffy towels. In an armoire, feminine nightgowns and bathrobes nestle on hangers. Lamps, end tables and chairs fill the in-between spaces.

The store is owned by four women known for artistic and decorating flair: Patty Kincaid, Kathy Merrill, Mary Philpotts and Daphne Chu. Day person/manager Gerry Ralston presides over the operation. The store, she says, is like a home filled with the owners' favorite things.

And there's lots of stuff. Food items, gardening tools, vases, iron work, antiques, aromatic products, skin care items, dinner ware, napkins, hand-painted floor mats and jewelry. Island Provisions also has an annex at the other end of the Ward Centre, with Christmas and holiday items.

At top, from left to right, are Nancy Lee of Blush showing some of
her store's cosmetics collection; and a silver hibiscus necklace by
Jewelry by Geri, available at Native Books & Beautiful Things.

The Lees own Blush, where they sell Make Up Forever cosmetics. The small store has a sleek, minimalist look but the blonde wood paneling warms up the place. The cosmetic line has high celebrity appeal with such biggies as Mariah Carey, Madonna, Sharon Stone, Drew Barrymore, Robert DeNiro, Nicole Kidman and Courtney Love among its clients.

Nancy emphasizes, however, that the products are for everywoman - and men, too. While the glitter cream may not be for everyday use, the other items are. Because line is used by professionals in the make up business, each product is versatile. Colored cream can be used as a lipstick or to highlight cheekbones.

The Lees stress that the products are "pure cosmetics" without preservatives, unnatural alcohols and pigments. And the color lines match skin tones of Hawaii people, especially Asians and Polynesians. Blush also carries a number of cases, large and small, to keep cosmetics organized as well as brushes and other make up accessories.

Above, left to right, Sue Stagner of Paint It Your Way offers some
creative help for the holidays to Ashli Davies, 10, and her sister
Alaia, 8. In the foreground is one of Ashli's finished plates.

The Moritas provide everything you need to create your masterpiece: glaze and paint and brushes as well as ideas and inspiration. You choose the pieces you want and the colors you want to use and let your creative juices flow. The couple then takes your piece and fire it up in the kiln.

A few days later, it's ready. The price marked on the cups, bowls or whatever includes everything needed to complete the piece. The Moritas carry a number of magazines, how-to and pattern books to help you out and Susan is there to calm those with artistic jitters. You sit at tables with other customers to create, talk, check out each other's stuff and maybe make a few new friends.

Paradise Walking Co. stresses comfort with offerings
of clogs by Josef Seibel, left, and Dansko, right, along
with a Merrell rock climbing shoe, center.

His purpose in life is to provide comfort and not just for the feet. This airy store displays shoes along spacious shelves and low-slung rattan couches that create a living room atmosphere. While shoes may not be a common gift, Glenn says he has been selling many pairs as such because his products are different.

"Wives buy for husbands; they know the sizes so they get something that a person may not get for themselves." Clogs especially lend themselves to gift-giving because the sizing aren't so crucial with slip-ons. But if the shoe doesn't fit, he'll exchange them without question and even special order something if you want. Gift certificates also are an option.

The store is housed in the former First Hawaiian Bank building of coral with dark blue-green trim and a Mediterranean tile roof near the town's famous bridge. Inside, Cheryl Sakamoto manages the operation.

She says Haleiwa is the "perfect town" for antique stores because of its historic nature and country feel. The store features toy trains, dolls, miniature cars, trucks, boats and planes, clocks, silver, Civil War-era guns, jewelry and Hawaiian items.

You'll find old etched glassware, nodding hula-girl dolls, bottles for Maui Soda Works, cast-iron smoking stands and unusual, mechanical cigarette dispensers, bird cages, prints, paintings and scrimshaw.

The store has a customer "wish list," of items people are looking for. The store is almost like a museum; each piece on display is accompanied by a card that lists pertinent details.

The usual clutter of antique stores is minimized by the building's big windows and the well-placed shelves and cases. An additional curiosity highlight is the old bank safe in the back corner of the shop.