Shopping niche

An intriguing furniture and accessories store fits in with the retailers on a Kakaako side street

Fishcake could easily have been named the Garage, said Maura Fujihira, one-third of the owners behind the space at 307-C Kamani St.

The address has been home to a number of businesses - a warehouse, for example, as well as the aforementioned garage. Traces of previous inhabitants remain: a fire door now opens to reveal a wing of furniture, where once there might have been motorcycles. The yellow paint that once covered the walls is long gone - thanks to Fujihira and company - and is now white from floor to ceiling, except for the decidedly feminine touch of adding a hot-pink alcove.

"We thought this was the ideal space," said Fujihira. "But it required a lot of paint."

Fishcake, a furnishings and home accessories store, is one of the newest businesses on Kamani, a quiet Kakaako side street that is home to a number of boutique and wholesale stores. Neighbors include Anne Namba Designs, Shari Saiki Design Studio and Bali Aga. On the next street over - Ward Avenue - shops such as Pacific Design and Dezign Home see frequent business.

The storeowners' love for travel is reflected in the many pieces available at Fishcake. Rugs from Afghanistan are mixed in with low- maintenance resin furniture made by artists in the Philippines. Countries such as Thailand, Italy and France also pop up in connection with the sofas, beds, chairs, tables and dressers sold.

Most of the upholstered pieces come from Meridiani, a company that names its furniture after Hollywood stars such as Sean Connery and Brigette Bardot. At Fishcake, Bardot's name graces bedroom furniture, while Connery is the name given to a high-backed couch. Lucy Liu can be found here, too, on a chaise lounge at the front of the store. Even Bruce Willis gets the salute, on a sofa bed.

"We mix old and new," Fujihira said. "Eastern with Western. Consignment items with news ones, too. ... We're not really interested in the trendy, but items that last a long time."

Fine artists also are given the spotlight through the Fishcake Gallery, which displays sculptures, ceramics, paintings, drawings and mixed-media pieces by artists such as Chuck Davis, Tom Smith and Mark Chai.

"Artwork is part of the offering," said Fujihira. "Artwork and furnishings go together quite well. We focus on local artists."

The opening of Fishcake in December came after three years of seeking an appropriate space, said Fujihira. The store was the brainchild of Fujihira and Barbara Chu, a buyer for the store. The pair had considered the old Kibun Red and White fishcake factory as a potential place, but eventually passed, keeping the reference in the name. Fujihira, with current partners Debbie Low and Akemi Rogers, have since settled well into the Kamani Street neighborhood. Case in point: The 5,000-square-foot store expanded in April to add 1,200 square feet that became available after the tile warehouse next door moved out.

Fujihira, an interior designer who plans to offer trade services in the store, said, "This is in the arts and crafts tradition. ... We felt like we had a niche. There is room here to offer another store that is different."