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At Harbor Center -- better known as "those shops behind Cutter Ford" -- stores can't rely on foot traffic. Not many feet walking around this cluster of long, low buildings just off Kamehameha Highway in Aiea. Shop owners rely on word-of-mouth, the yellow pages, very limited advertising and -- primarily -- the selective nature of their stock.
Shop Zone will run Mondays through Dec. 18, suggesting options for intrepid holiday gift-buyers. Shop Zone focuses on a varied collection of stores in a neighborhood, tells you where to park and where to take a break. Today we walk through Harbor Center.Next week:A selective tour of Waikiki.
By Betty Shimabukuro
Star-BulletinThis means you can make a serious dent in your gift list without having to shove your way through crowds.
Another plus: Many of these stores do custom work, so you could have jewelry, clothing or even a Merry Christmas banner made to order.
This is a no-nonsense area -- no holiday trimmings or piped-in carolling. Most stores close at 5 or 6 p.m. (If you want to keep shopping late, Pearlridge Center is just down the street.) Parking is free.Here you'll find ceiling fans, futon beds, unfinished furniture and vacuum cleaners -- presumably these could all be gifts (oh yeah, a vacuum cleaner would go over real well). You could even have a car stereo installed.
But our emphasis is on more colorful things, so here's a sampling of the brightest.
Hot Licks Guitars
Carlos Barientos carries a $3,500 Charvel electric guitar, a collector's item of the type played by Eddie Van Halen. His store also stocks a 1957 "vintage reissue" of Jimi Hendrix's favored Stratocaster for $1,359.But for more moderate budgets Hot Licks features a full line of electric and acoustic guitars and ukulele. Barientos also sells amplifiers, sheet music and guitar accessories.
For a guitar player -- short of a new guitar, of course -- he'd suggest gift items such as strings, polishing cloths, Finger Ease spray and picks, all items a guitarist can use in abundance.
Call 484-8586.
Stacey's Hawaii
Dressmaker Stacey Shin meets her customers at craft fairs, where she sells her handmade cotton jumpsuits, dresses and rompers in their colorful aloha prints. They follow her to this corner of Harbor Court.Shin does drafting work in the back, then shares the sewing work with her mother. Prices are $35 for most pieces. Her best sellers are the jumpsuits, which are popular with elementary-school teachers. "It's easy to sit on the floor," Shin says.
She also makes men's shirts and children's clothing to order.
Call 486-4088.
Flags n' Things
When it comes to color, this place is exploding with it. Flags of many countries, in many sizes, along with stickers, lapel pins, key chains, all bearing flag designs. The shop also specializes in decorative banners and windsocks, for flying off your deck or porch. They come in holiday, animal, floral and cartoon themes, as well as in collegiate and pro-team logos.Shop owners Lorraine and Terry Archibald say their bread and butter is in ordinary U.S. and Hawaiian flags, as well as custom-made banners. But the fun of the store is the outdoor banners. These are popular in many mainland cities, the tradition carried to Hawaii by military families, who are among the store's best customers.
The banners would make great wall-hangings as well, or even curtains. Prices start at $14. Windsocks start at around $10.
The best thing about her job, Lorraine Archibald says, is that people don't shop for bright things like this when they're grouchy.
Call 488-4949.
Call 486-9298.
Homespun Harbor Ltd.
If you love fabric, this store is heaven. Half of it is dedicated to country-style crafts, but the other half belongs to quilters, and the shelves are lined with bolts and bolts of cotton fabrics in a huge array of calicos and sunny designs. They are priced by the quarter yard, because quilters often buy many of small pieces.Owner Ghleanna Reeves carries a full line of quilting supplies and teaches classes as well.
On the craft side, Reeves and husband Dennis carry handmade items from cottage industries throughout the mainland -- everything from pretty little angels to giant cats made of painted gourds. The largest of those is the store's most expensive item at $120. "You have to really love cats," Reeves says.
Call 488-5844.
Also at Harbor Center
Hungry?
For a sit-down meal, Nippon Ramen & Bar-B-Q Inn is your only choice. You can get bowls of noodles, of course, or plate lunches, sandwiches or breakfast.Alonzo's Poke & Meats offers take-out fare, including plate lunches, sandwiches, burgers and saimin, which you can carry a few steps to a grassy area and have a picnic along Pearl Harbor.
If shopping has tired you out, either place can provide you with dinner to take home. Alonzo's is best known for its Hawaiian Steak, which you can buy for $5.99 a pound, uncooked. The shop offers other meat dishes as well as crab and lobster to order, and poke party platters.
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