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History, vintage architecture, shopping and ethnic eateries are intermingled in Wailuku in ways that make the town a very special sidetrip on Maui if you’re willing to stroll around in a leisurely fashion and absorb the unique atmosphere. People who own, manage or just work in these shops and eateries will help you to understand what Wailuku is about as a self-sufficient community that depends very little on tourism. (At the Bailey House Museum Gift Shop buy or browse through Maui Remembers: A Local History, Gail Bartholomew, Mutual Publishing, 1994.)
Built to honor Queen Ka’ahumanu, the first member of Hawaiian royalty to embrace Christianity back in the 1820s, Ka’ahumanu Church (103 S. High St., Wailuku) was built in 1876. This New England-style church still features hymns sung on Sunday in Hawaiian.
Just around the corner from Ka’ahumanu Church and originally built as a girl’s school in the mid-19th century, the Bailey House Museum (2375-A Main St., 244-3326, 10am-4:30pm) became the home of Edward and Caroline Bailey, the missionary couple that ran the school. Operated by the Maui Historical Society, the museum is furnished as it looked in the missionary era.
A handsome example of missionary architecture (dating from 1833), the Bailey House Museum is set in lovely gardens. There’s a great deal to enjoy at the Museum not the least of which is the excellent collection of made-in-Hawaii items for sale in the Bailey House Gift Shop. The discriminating and authentic selection of gift items in the shop include Hawaiian music, exquisite carved wood items, traditional Hawaiian games, pareus, prints by renown artist Madge Tennent, lauhala hats, hand-sewn pheasant hatbands, a variety of Maui cookbooks and possibly an Hawaiian quilt if one is in stock.
Owner Joe Myhand sells an eclectic variety of old Hawaiian furniture, blue willow china, dishes, pottery, kimonos for children and other clothing, dinnerware, Hawaiian nostalgia items and other vintage and interesting objects to browse through at Bird of Paradise Unique Antiques (56 N. Market St., Wailuku, 242-7699). This shop is like a swap meet concentrated in a small space with a higher quality of finds waiting for patient browsers. Stop by, browse and “talk story” with Joe who has many interesting stories about Wailuku and the business of vintage objects pursued there.
As you walk into this small store (160-A N. Market, 242-0804) crowded with beautiful Asian furnishings and other objects, it’s a bit overwhelming to see so many selections of Asian antiques from Japanese kimonos and beautiful lacquerware to cloisonné and exotic Chinese woods (purple sandalwood and huanghauali), separated by narrow passageways just wide enough to allow passage through the elegant shop to examine its treasure trove. Every item in the store reflects a harmonious look and distinctive aesthetic. Asian and European furnishings in this shop are not gathering dust. Brown Kobayashi’s agents continuously search to find new items to replenish antiques and collectibles that usually leave the premises soon after they arrive. No other antique store on the island is quite like it. Located directly across N. Market from Sig Zane Designs, visiting these two exceptional stores is very convenient and reason enough for coming to downtown Wailuku.
Sig Zane opened his first store in Hilo in the1980s. A third-generation Chinese-American, Zane (whose name derives from the Chinese “Jheng”) married Nalani Kanakaole, a teacher from a hula halau in Hilo. Plants are very important in Hawaiian culture and hula, accompanying chants, and obviously in lei-making. Back in the early 1980s Zane realized that, even in Hawaii’s tropical paradise, aloha shirts typically did not include images of any genuine native Hawaiian plants. A self-taught artist, Zane decided to create a line of men’s aloha shirts that included native plants, flowers and trees using bold, distinctive colors that embody Hawaiian spirit and culture. Zane put his distinctive, unmistakable Hawaiian botanicals on men’s and women’s clothing, aloha shirts, T-shirts and golf shirts, pareus, muumuu, bedding, textiles and other products.
Zane has not been in any rush to expand. He stays local, designs his own artwork, silkscreens and prints the fabric by hand, and continues to tell the story of Hawaiian culture along with selling his products. Together with co-owner Punawai Rice, Sig ZaneDesigns opened a second store (55 N. Market St., Wailuku, 249-8997). Like Hilo, Zane’s Wailuku store fits perfectly on Market Street because of the town’s character and spirit. A unique feature of Sig Zane is that, while you browse, you also learn about Hawaiian culture and plant life. Sales people will tell you about which designs are appropriate for certain occasions and the story behind each article of clothing.
Natsu Matsuri, the Japanese Summer Festival, provides a rare opportunity to experience a side of Hawaii, Maui and Wailuku that is rarely seen and too much fun to miss. The Festival usually is held on the third Saturday in June but be sure to check the calendar of events in the web site of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau. For families with kids, this event should be one of their favorite memories of Maui. From 10am to 4pm in historic Wailuku Town, Natsu Matsuri features entertainment, food, arts and crafts, cooking and other contests, Obon dancing, children’s activities and cultural demonstrations. Market Street is closed for the festival which is presented by the Japanese Cultural Society of Maui, the Kiwanis Club of Kahului and the County of Maui, usually with corporate support. Admission is free.
Live entertainment is presented all day on two stages (usually with radio station hosts). Groups play island contemporary and Hawaiian music. There’s a good chance that you’ll hear ukulele virtuoso Herb Ohta, Jr. or another top ukulele player and also Japanese recording artists. Dance groups are one of the best parts of the event, especially children dancing, along with demonstrations of the Japanese art of swordsmanship, iaijutsu, and local martial arts demonstrations. Festivalgoers are invited to participate in Obon dancing and dances are taught at a yagura (special structure) set up on Market Street.
Visitors to the Japanese Summer Festival can sample and buy food from many of Wailuku’s best restaurants and eateries: A Saigon Cafe (Tempura Shrimp); Bentos and Banquets by Bernard (Pork Tofu, Shoyu Chicken); Biwon Restaurant (Teriyaki Udon, Kalbi, BBQ Chicken); Silk Road Café (Lemon Chicken, Vegetable Noodles, Kau Yuk); and the Vietnamese Restaurant (Summer Rolls, Green Papaya Salad, Spring Rolls).
Natsu Matsuri also provides a chance to browse and buy local art and crafts that visitors rarely see elsewhere including jewelry and ceramic items, koa wood products such as chopsticks and sushi plates, wind chimes, and other small, inexpensive items with a local and Japanese flair. Part of the charm of these events is to see children passionately involved in origami making and participating in an “origami sumo contest.” Obviously this event is very much a local children’s festival.
In the spirit of shopping local in Wailuku, eat local before you leave town. Start your Perfect Day at Tasty Crust (on Mill St. near Central) or at the Maui Bake Shop (on Vineyard and N. Church). Delicious saimin, broth with noodles, a sprinkling of green onions, roast pork and fish cake, is served at Sam Sato’s (hidden in an industrial area near the center of town at 1750 Wili Pa Loop). Vietnamese noodle soups are popular at A Saigon Café (Kaniela & Main) along with a huge variety of other seafood, chicken and meat dishes including make-your-own rice-paper wraps with various fillings that you dip into a tangy sauce. For fans of Thai food, the menus at both Siam Thai (on Market St.) and Saeng’s Thai Cuisine (on Vineyard St.) offer an incredible variety of chicken, seafood and vegetarian dishes.