Kaua'i - Hawaii - page 1008

Shopping
You'll find the artists and entrepreneurs who put Hanapepe on the tourist radar in many
of the old main-street galleries and workshops.
Machinemachine CLOTHING
( www.machinemachineapparel.com ; 3800 Hanapepe Rd; noon-5pm Tue-Thu & Sat, 6-9pm Fri)
Shannon Hiramoto, a fifth-generation Kauaʻi-born designer/imaginator, scours flea mar-
kets and thrift stores for age-old aloha wear and other knickknacks which she upcycles
into comfy, funky, elegant dresses, skirts and excellent trucker hats. She has a devoted
cult following, sells online and in 16 stores statewide, and does most of the sewing out of
her Hanapepe workshop.
Set in an old mechanic's garage, the workshop alone is worthy of a trip to Hanapepe.
Along with her special clothing line, you'll browse hacked up old signage, creative shell
and chain jewelry, and framed paintings and drawings from young local talents. She has
an increasingly popular vintage collection on the mezzanine, and even her yarn-
wrapped hangers are cool. This effortlessly hip habitat, filled with quirky island soul,
would do well in the most urban of environments, and on Kauaʻi it is simply one of a
kind. Hours do vary (those listed are merely approximations), but the workshop is always
open on Friday nights.
Talk Story BOOKS
( 335-6469; www.talkstorybookstore.com ; 3785 Hanapepe Rd; 10am-5pm Mon-Thu & Sat, to
9:30pm Fri) The island's one and only dedicated bookstore is an exceptionally quaint and
funky indie paradise, the kind that will give you Amazonian regret and may even fill e-
reader enthusiasts with musty page-turning nostalgia.
New books by local authors are stocked up front, but it's mostly used fare here, with
more than 40,000 books organized by both genre and, curiously, author gender. Why?
Well, nobody actually knows, but take heart that only their fiction collection suffers such
a strangely segregated fate. Oh, and say hello to Celeste if she rubs up and greets you.
Kauai Fine Arts GALLERY
( 335-3778; www.brunias.com ; 3751 Hanapepe Rd; 9:30am-4:30pm Mon-Thu & Sat, to 9pm
Fri) If you're sending something home or want to get your hands on a unique map - in-
cluding navigational charts - this is a great little spot to peruse. Think fossilized shark
teeth, antique and newer tiki carvings, quilts and prints of old Pan Am ads or long-gone
old world maps.