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Makawao is the upcountry hub for shopping, browsing and eating. Lovers of art, gardens and flowers, and sights and activities on the slopes of Haleakala have lots of vacation rental choices only minutes away. Make your vacation base in upcountry and enjoy Makawao, Haleakala Crater Road and Haleakala National Park, the protea and other gardens of Kula, hiking and bicycling in Polipoli State Park, winetasting and horseback riding in ‘Ulupalakua Ranch, the relatively undiscovered Kula countryside, winding roads of Haiku, beautiful hidden coastlines of Pauwela Point, Maliko Bay, Huelo Peninsula, the windsurfing mecca of Ho’okipa Beach, and much more sightseeing.
Kaluanui, the impressive, stately two-story stucco upcountry Baldwin Estate built in 1917 that houses the Hui No’eau is framed by two of Maui’s largest Cook and Norfolk Island pine trees. At the entrance to the estate are the remains of one of Maui’s earliest sugar mills. Elegant, sedate, and refined, the Hui’s facility suggests that art education and promotion in Makawao are in good hands. Since Ethel Baldwin established the Hui in 1934 and the Baldwin estate became its center in the later 1970’s, without fanfare the Hui has become the center of artistic vitality in the Makawao area and on Maui. Many local artists whose work was well known more than a decade ago, like Cynthia Conrad and Betty Hay Freeland, still are painting and among current exhibitors at the Hui. Most of the recent exhibitors, however, have emerged in the 1990s and early 21st century.
Over the last decade educational programs for children and adults at the Hui have expanded significantly. Classrooms and studios have been added. The gift shop also has grown with the Hui to feature works by dozens of artist members in all media as well as books, cards, jewelry and gift items.
Art collectors and people who appreciate art need to see the works of Maui’s “mature” artists and relatively recent arrivals on the art scene and there’s no better place to start than at the Hui. Spend a few hours or a few days looking at the two- and three-dimensional art, fiber art, jewelry, paper, stained glass, sculpture, ceramics, woodwork and other art displayed at the Hui No’eau and move on to Makawao along Baldwin Avenue and Makawao Avenue. The work of many artists exhibited at the Hui also will be found in Makawao, like George Allen, Margaret Bedell, Kathy MacDonald, Beth Marcil, Amanda McConnell, Joelle Chicheportiche-Perz, J.B. Rea, Julie Shoenecker and others.
Another hundred or so artists, many of whom are not represented at the Hui, can be found further up Baldwin Avenue at the Gallery Maui and others at Viewpoints Gallery next door.
Once you arrive and park in Makawao, for a break in art browsing and shopping you’ll never have to get back in your car to find a restaurant or eatery for snacks, lunch or dinner choices: Komoda Store and Bakery; Casanova Restaurant and Deli; Polli’s Mexican Restaurant; Café O’ Lei; Café del Sol; Duncan’s Coffee; Kitada’s; Down to Earth Natural Foods; Stopwatch Bar & Grill; and Makawao Steak House. The Hali’imaile General Store is only five minutes away by car and it’s less than a 15 minute drive to a dozen additional meal, snack and dining choices in Kula, Pukalani, Pa’ia, Ku’au (Mama’s Fish House) and Haiku.
Perfect Days covers the shops and galleries of Makawao by moving (northwest) down Baldwin Avenue, first on the east side of the street and then on the west side; and then on the north side of Makawao Avenue, opposite the Library and one of our favorite health food stores, Down to Earth Natural Foods (1169 Makawao Ave., 572-1488), that sells a full range of organic produce, vegetarian and health foods, salads and sandwiches.
Attractive women's clothing in natural fibers hangs from racks near matching jewelry, elegant fiber evening bags, easygoing dresses and separates, aloha shirts, Dansko clogs, shawls, shoes, soaps and luxurious bath gels, books and picture frames.
Browse here for soaps and bath accessories, fragrances, candles, cards, jewelry, casual apparel, sportswear, mirrors, lamps, ceramics, and lots of other fun stuff and gift items. After more than 25 years in business, owner Jennie Spenser and the staff in her shop apparently have learned what their regular and occasional customers really like and the best ways to take care of them.
Since 1990 loyal customers and visitors have countless spent hours browsing through an amazing assortment of items: jewelry, pillows, bed covers and other bedding and home accessories, furniture (including hand-carved armoires), dinnerware, Italian linens, plantation-style furniture, Hawaiian quilts for wall hangings, rugs, Ni’ihau shell leis, bowls, candle and wine holders, koa picture frames and photo albums, hand-thrown pottery from pitchers and vases to bowls and platters, Tiffany-style glass-and-shell lamps, comfortable and classy clothing for men and women, Maui herbal soaps, Jurlique organic facial and body products, Maui-made jams, honey, soaps, ceramics and lots more. Ladies, and especially gentlemen, let Stephanie or Malia help you find your way through the store’s huge and delightful selection for homes, bodies and beds.
This charming, tiny outdoor café is tucked into the Paniolo Courtyard with only a few outdoor tables, serving really good soups, salads (Asian salad especially), yummy sandwiches and other goodies. 11am-4pm.
Sherri’s lovely bouquets, florals, flower-filled nature scenes, fish, turtles, parrots, ducks and butterflies are so distinctive that they are not easily forgotten. If you don’t yield to the strong temptation to buy something in the shop, Sherri makes it easy for you to buy T-shirts, tiles, posters and cards online. 9am-5pm, Mon.-Fri, 10am-4pm., Sat. & Sun.
Classy streetwear and sportswear for women are side-by-side with a Natural Body Care and Cosmetics Store right In Sync (pun intended). Owner Elisabeth Heinrich gathers up only the purest organic facial and body care products for her customers and people that she cares about.
Besides sandwiches, salads, lasagna and other food items to take-out, Rodeo will surprise you with its extensive quality wine selection kept in a temperature-controlled cave that you might not expect to find behind this delightfully photogenic wooden storefront.
Owner-designer David Sacco established this shop in the 1980s when his bold, original jewelry designs in gold, diamonds, silver and other gemstones and the design of his elegant shop behind a simple, rustic wooden storefront seemed utterly incongruous in Makawao. Today Makawao as a tourist destination definitely has begun to catch up with Sacco.
In addition to the best coffee in Makawao, served in a relaxed atmosphere, sushi is served in this pleasant, comfortable coffee shop. A spicy tuna roll or spider roll will seem like the perfect interlude during boutique and gallery shopping in Makawao.
This boutique carries Tommy Bahamas aloha shirts, aloha print dresses and other clothing and accessories that your not likely to find elsewhere in town; likewise elegant silk tank dresses, Sigrid Olsen's knitted shells, an unusual assortment of hats, gifts, fragrances for men and women, home accessories and local art.
So to speak the front door in Makawao for one of the largest protea farms on Maui, this little store sells some of the 14 varieties of protea growing on Anuhea Flowers’ Farm high up in Olinda.
Miles above Makawao in Olinda, several of the few remaining family-owned and operated nurseries are worth visiting, most notably Billy Irvine’s Aloha O ka ‘Aina Farm (2040 Pi’iholo, Tues.-Sat. 9am-4pm, Wed. 3-6pm, 572-9440). Drop in to see Billy and his flowers on your way down from the top of Olinda Rd, using Pi’iholo Rd. as an alternate route to return to Makawao, and otherwise drive up Pi’iholo Rd. from Makawao Ave., found on the east side of St. Joseph Church.
Kind of an extension of Hurricane, Tropo sells stylish and comfortable islandwear and other apparel and accessories especially for men.
If you have children and grandchildren, perhaps with you on this trip, you’ll have a hard time leaving this shop and its wonderful collection of toys and other fun “stuff.” Celeste King has been taking care of children, their parents and grandparents for almost 20 years with educational toys, a large collection of the best children’s books for all ages and a sale table that always is worth picking through.
Behind a gate and down a charming landscaped pathway, gallery owners Deborah and Robert Zaleski have put together about 30 exceptional Maui artists including: Pamela Hayes, Steve Hynson, Wayne Omura, and ceramic artists David Stabley and Martha Vockrodt. 10am-6pm, closed Sunday.
Elegant clothing, cotton casuals, crystals, silks and other classy items.
This friendly emporium may be tiny but it always carries something new, fun and interesting from France to Mexico and Spain to New York at very decent prices. Look for one-of-a-kind clothing and accessories, unusual jewelry, soaps, lotions, toys, candleholders and sundry household items.
David Warren had his first show on Maui in 1974. What impressed everyone about David was his complete integrity and the joy he brought to his work and relationships. After David died in 1988, his son Cole, who does framing and builds furniture, his wife, brother, Zephyr, also passionate about woodworking, and their mother, Bonnie, an artist and designer, took over the business. The spirit of David’s life and work still lives in the gallery and his work is on permanent exhibit. 10am-6pm daily
Thank goodness, Kitada’s still serves steaming bowls of saimin and tasty plate lunches in a funky lunchroom that hasn’t changed much in over 50 years.
Coffee drinks, pastry and vegetarian cuisine.
Arrive early for Komoda’s famous cream puffs that usually disappear almost as fast as they leave the oven and do wonders providing fuel for shopping and browsing in Makawao.
Owner Jeannine de Roode decided to create a shop that had something for everyone which accounts for the abundance and variety of clothing, gift and accessory choices, jewelry, shoes and the constant flow of new items into the shop to keep customers happy and visiting regularly.
Owner Bruce Olsen continuously refreshes gifts of adventuresome and traditional kinds in his shop ranging from body frosting in different flavors, complete with paintbrush, to fine crystal, kitchen tools and bowls, and a wonderful assortment of other items that should fit almost anyone on your shopping list for any occasion. Escapade makes you feel like it’s Christmas all year-round.
Original paintings and giclees by Kirsten, Carla Crow and Gwen Lund, three very respected artists over several decades are displayed in this very attractive gallery. You’ll delight in Kirsten’s work, so full of bright colors, intricate and fanciful designs, perhaps a reflection of time she spent living in Bali. My first encounter with Carla Crow’s acrylic paintings on bark confirmed her considerable talent and personal vision. Her work fits perfectly with that of Kirsten.
Owner Lisa Payne has created a charming store that carries the gamut of Hawaiian gifts from quilts to print clothing for children, stuffed animals, kapua lei designs on women’s t-shirts, jams and jellies, backpacks, wood products and more, all reflecting different takes on a retro-Hawaiian look.
This artist’s collective located in the Courtyard Plaza is one of the most pleasant and relaxing places on Maui to look at two-dimensional art, jewelry, fiber art, stained glass, paper, sculpture, and other media by local artists. Next door are Hot Island Glass and Maui Hands which makes the Courtyard a center of Maui’s art community.
A remarkably comprehensive view of Maui’s artists and their works is exhibited at Maui Hands. The number (more than 200) and variety of artists, artisans and jewelers, and breadth of media represented and exhibited by Maui Hands is astonishing. For anyone interested in art, this is an essential stop or visit one of Maui Hands’ other galleries in Pa’ia, Kahului and the Hyatt Regency in Ka’anapali.
Owned by Bill Worcester and his wife Sally (who I first met in the early 1990s when Hot Island Glass first opened), you can watch Chris Lowry and Chris Richards in the studio firing up a furnace to transform melted glass into works of art. (9am-5pm daily) Coffee or breakfast at the Café del Sol in the Courtyard is a pleasant start to a morning of browsing local shops and galleries.
Steaks, prime ribs (including the humongous 24 oz Kalaheo cut), fresh fish, poultry, pork, salad bar, plenty of tasty appetizers, wooden tables, a fireplace, and everything just the way it has always been keeps loyal customers coming back for more. This is a perfect place to take hungry teenagers for dinner after a day of hiking on trails in Haleakala Crater or Polipoli State Park.
Avalene Gallery (1156 Makawao Ave., 572-8500, 10am-6pm Mon.-Sat. Closed Sun. except by appt)
Features the work of Jan Kasprzycki, one of Hawaii’s best known colorists, his daughter Lisa, working mostly in oil on canvas and wood, Steve Smeltzer’s whimsical sculpture and ceramic work, Victor Holmes’ beautiful furniture and Tom Calhoun’s extraordinary woodworking pieces. Shavonn Eason, Director of the Avalene Gallery, will be delighted to show you around and discuss art and artists on the island and in the gallery.
No doubt as you travel around Maui you’ll see Randy’s memorable, hand-colored photos of male and female hula dancers and cowboys. Be sure to visit Randy’s gallery to meet the artist, see his complete photo collection, “talk story” and also discuss works by other artists represented by the gallery. Rachel Kimmel, manager of the gallery, also can answer your questions about Randy’s work and the art and history of hula.
An exceptional artist transplanted from Texas, Groden loves to paint classical ballet dancers, beautiful landscapes, exotic nudes and a wide spectrum of custom work including portraits and murals in watercolor and oils and in a variety of styles. Groden is one of the comparative newcomers to Makawao’s art scene in recent years.