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Saturday morning (7am-noon, $.50 entry fee) the place to be on Maui is the Maui SwapMeet (Rt. 350 off S. Puunene St., next to the Post Office) where vendors spread out their wares in a festival-like atmosphere. You can see the island’s vegetables from Upcountry, fresh taro from the Ke’anae Peninsula, proteas and other flowers, handcrafts, homemade ethnic foods, baked goods and a large flea market assortment of jewelry, antiques, art, brick-a-brac and collectibles. After Thanksgiving and throughout December the number of booths at the Swap Meet mushrooms into the hundreds.
Have breakfast before the Swap Meet at Marco’s Grill & Deli in Kahului and, after walking around for hours working up an appetite, have lunch at Tom Lelli’s Mañana Garage (Lono Ave., between W. Kamehameha, Hwy. 361, and Hwy. 32, 873-0220).
Especially for families with children, extend your shopping to the Queen Ka’ahumanu Center (275 Ka’ahumanu Ave., 877-0368) where you’ll find local entertainment on Saturdays and lunch choices at the excellent Queen’s Market Food Court: Edo Japan for Teppanyaki-style Japanese food, Maui Tacos, Yummy Korean BBQ and Sushi-Go! (sushi on a conveyor belt which has a surprising number of fans that also pack their Kihei eatery). Outside, facing the parking lot, Koho Grill ‘n Bar (877-5588) offers a large menu designed to cover most tastes and a very good eating-place for families.
Maybe you remember the big Shirokiya department store that specialized in Japanese products. A much scaled-down version, Tamakwaya, is a featured store on the lower level in Ka’ahumanu Shopping Center selling Japanese food, housewares, apparel and other products. Kihata’s sells plate lunches in the Tamakwaya store. Starbucks and The Coffee Store right nearby take care of coffee and a light lunch.
Like Maui Handsin Makawao (Courtyard, 3620 Baldwin Ave., 572-5194) and Pa’ia (the largest selection among the three stores, 84 Hana Hwy., 579-9245), the selection of artists and their paintings, prints, jewelry, glass marbles, native-wood bowls, and other media sold in this store is large, eclectic and should provide something of quality to satisfy most budgets and tastes for made-on-Maui art. While you’re at Ka’ahumanu Shopping Center take a look at Maui’s Best (877-7959) for gift items from Hawaii and elsewhere (that also has a branch in the Azeka Place Shopping Center in Kihei).
If you need a drug store or feel the urge to see a movie, Maui Mall (70 Ka’ahumanu Ave., 877-0300) has Long’s and a 12-screen megaplex. For tropical and Asian home decorating with natural fibers, browse for product ideas at Cost Less Imports that sells many kinds of baskets, burlap and lauhala, bamboo blinds, floor and window coverings including Japanese noreng curtains, shoji-style lamps, an assortment of handcrafts and other imports from Asia. Maui Mall also has one of the best shops on Maui selling jewelry and Asian art, Diana Kaaihue’s The Gallery Ltd. Diana’s shop has been doing business with very satisfied customers since 1959.
The remarkable Paper Airplane Museum at Maui Mall is a unique attraction on the island with over 2000 paper and metal models from around the world on sale. A labor of love created by Ray Roberts, the Museum’s collection includes just about every plane and space craft ever built: Catalina flying planes, Russian MiGs, Navy jets from the 1950s, Lockheed Stealth Fighters, Curtiss Jennys, World War I fighters from England, Piper Cubs, B-17 bombers, Voyager space probes, Russian helicopters, even aircraft models built from aluminum cans, and so many more fascinating flying craft that it’s worth spending hours. The museum also includes about 350 historical photos documenting the history of aviation on Maui.
Take a break from the museum for some of the best ethnic food on Maui: Dragon Dragon Chinese Restaurant; Maui Mixed Plate; Sui’s Chinese Kitchen; Thailand Café; Tasaka Guri-Guri, and Restaurant Matsu. The Mall has IHOP, too, with a new diversified menu.
Besides Borders Book Store and Starbucks, the sprawling 20-acre Maui Marketplace(270 Dairy Rd., near intersection with Hana Hwy.) is especially popular because of its Kau Kau Market Food Court with Aloha Grill (893-0263) serving breakfast, lunch or dinner, Tastes of Mexico for combination plates and Ba-Le for Vietnamese food and French desserts.
Other stores worth looking for in Kahului include: Nostalgia Home Furnishings(1010 Ka’ahumanu Ave., across from Star Market, 873-6400). Head back to yesteryear at Mindy Sears’ Nostalgia Home Furnishings, a vintage cottage installed in an old 1923 train depot once used by HC&S. Furnishings in each room are all hand-made. The shops behind it, Bohemia (298-9057) and The Gypsie Boutique, are an eclectic blend of vintage clothing, jewelry, home furnishings and other items created by the mom and daughter team of Lisa and Stephanie Strong. Mindy and Stephanie, friends back in San Francisco, brought their similar passion for bohemian and nostalgic styles to Maui.