Sweet shop. Love the people and energy. They call me the candle guy. Want spiritually sweet stuff?…read moreThis is the place

I love this store…read more I drive from Hilo to shop here. There's nothing like it on the island. Beautiful things to give as gifts: calendars, journals, books on spirituality, religion and metaphysics, the best selection of crystals on the island, gemstone beads, jewelry - some locally made as well as really cool, old works of art.

Loved this open air bookstore in downtown Hilo. We accidentally stumbled across it wandering around…read moreand I was instantly in love. It has such a lovely vibe with the giant open windows in the front, and in addition to books, sells art and other little trinkets. The person working there was very friendly with us. My husband ended up buying a first edition book from one of his favorite authors that he found here.

Bought books to realize that this place was selling some of these above the original market value…read morewhen the author released it. If a book is 7.99 There is no reason it should be resold for 8.50 Especially when the covers are bent and there are holes in it. Thats called a rip off and a scam. It's like selling a used car with 100,000 miles on it for retail price and acting like there's no miles on it.

I fully want to cry. Finding out my favorite bookstore in all of Hawaii is closing was not how I…read morewanted to start off this summer. I have no idea how I'm gonna come back to Big Island without coming to this magical little shop... The nicest workers, the cutest cat, a fantastic collection of affordable books, all gone :( I don't mean to be dramatic; I'm just devastated

Highly recommended stop on the Big Island! Great selection of new and used, and an excellent…read moreselection of local history. Everyone there is always helpful and friendly, and can help you find whatever type of book you are looking for to make your stay perfect. You want to read a book on the beach, right? They also are great about on line orders, so I try to go to them first when I am looking to order a book from a small bookstore. Location is super convenient, and say hi to the resident cat(s?) while you're there!

So much cuteness in such a small shop. This bookshop has a cute area for the kids, lots of books by…read morelocal authors and artists. Not just books but souvenirs and post cards too.

Attended a Book Signing "He Huli 'Ula'ula" A Study in…read moreScarlet A Fevronia Watkins Novel by Leilehua Yuen Cannot wait for the next book. If you enjoy books, be prepared to lose track of time at "Basically Books" Eclectic collection of Hawaiian items with an attentive staff.

Amazing bookstore! It's owned by the sweetest husband-and-wife team, and I even got to meet their…read moretiny, friendly dog who's sometimes there greeting visitors. I ended up coming twice -- the first time I found the Hawaiian-themed book I wanted within minutes, and the second time I took my time exploring. They've got a great selection of children's books, adult books, and a surprisingly big DVD section. Everything is clean, very organized, great quality, and great prices! The owners are incredibly warm and welcoming, and the whole shop just has that cozy, local feel you can't fake.

Very well curated books for both adults and children…read more Friendly proprietor. Clean well lit place for books. Service was fast, friendly and efficient.

This is a great little local book store. We had finished the books we brought on vacation. They…read morehave a nice collection, plus other items, such as puzzles. We were thrilled to find it so close to our resort & with free parking in the shopping center.

Sweet little shoppe very well stocked. Was looking for some children's Hawaiian written books to…read moretake home to the littles, found them there!

Come here for your COLLEGE GEAR! You name it...they have everything from course textbooks, to…read moreschool supplies and to UH Hilo merch. Just the place for students or guests to shop at. The book store is fairly new and spacious. It is conveniently located near the school's parking lot...easy to spot! It also has an entrance that leads into the dining room. It is perfect for student's on the run in need of a quick visit. So, if you are looking for supplies or souvenirs, check out UH Hilo's Bookstore, you'll thank me for that!

Answered the phone, tried to find the book I wanted (unsuccessfully), then went above and beyond,…read moreto say that he is often in Volcano and willing to bring books up here ! Wow !

(note: this review is written by my wife)…read more On the fifth day of our stay in Kona I finally was able to get my party to come with over to the other side of the island over in Hilo,ostensibly to see the famous Pele volcano.While that was in fact rather awesome to behold in person, I personally had a more spiritual time getting to do what I wanted to do on that side of the island: visit the only record store on the Big Island. I'm easily able to stay in a record store till close as I love the thrill of digging through stacks and stacks of old & interesting vinyl in search of musical goodies or oddities. Given this context, it should come as no surprise that Still Life was a complete joy for me. Entering the shop you immediately start hearing the lovely warm sound of a record playing and you then will find that the person playing it is one of the coolest & friendliest people ever, namely the store owner Kirk. Given how well organized and meticulously graded everything in the store is, one might assume that he was a long-time record store owner of sorts, but in actual it turns out he has a background in photography. This is only relevant in as much to praise how well he has kept & run the shop, especially given that the history in that he very sweetly took it over for the store's previous owner Rory, who, unfortunately had health complications. Luckily for Rory and everyone fortunate to be a customer, Kirk's dedication to Still Life continues to make the store one of the true gems of record stores (not to mention all the great collection of books which I didn't even have time to go through) I personally was able to spend almost 5 hours in the shop on my visit and I had a smile on my face the whole time. The collections of older rock, jazz, blues as well as singles are quite extensive given the amount of space the store has. I didn't get to go through the hip-hop records but they looks tantalizing as well. Finally, one of the absolute true gems in the collection is the Hawaiian music section. Lots of mint or very close to pristine records of stuff that is typically not carried in the mainland is on display and going through it is sure to widen the smile on one's face with its very cool variety and if you only take home one record, make sure it's from that collection. (Kirk is also very knowledgeable on that topic and happy to explain some of the history of the music!) Finally,to summarize the entire experience I would just say,come to Hilo for the volcano but stay to visit Kirk and his terrific record shop at Still Life. Mahalo!

*UPDATE!* Newest Update OPENING DECEMBER 15, 2012! !!!!!!!!…read morehttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Hairy-Monkey-Books/259323455957 Look for the new, larger Hairy Monkey Book store to open this winter in Hilo Hawaii. from books, to bargains, antiques, hawaiiana and vintage gifts to GBLT and hard to find antiquities! We buy sell and trade your vintage items. if you were a fan of our first location, the new location will knock your monkey socks off! look for public announcement in November 20121 A little gay in your Day! This is a Gay Nick Nack shop. It carries all of your Gay tee shirts, stickers, books, and novelty items. The Owner is a Fantastic Lipstick lesbian, who is the connection for gay activism and activity on the Big Island. She has been a driving force in the GBLT Community for years. She single handedly brings as much gay culture to the Islands as possible, booking gay comedians, and helping to organize events. If that's not enough to bring your gay dollars to her location, the shop is super cute. The go to location for all of your gay advise and knowledge base on the Big Island. There is not a lot of gay here, but if it's here she knows about it!

Eclectic collection of rare treasures! Don't miss it! They will bargain too.read more

Gorgeous place, extensive selection of books and items. Sweet attendants. The prices for some of…read morethese books were so accessible that I regretted not having more room in my suitcase for them all.

What an amazing find! Daifukuji's gift shop is in a small room under the temple, and is PACKED with…read moreall sorts of Buddhism-related items: books, bells, beads, statues, artwork, clothing, prayer flags, and more. On the day I visited the shop was being run by a temple member named Jordan, who was friendly, kind, and very helpful. I picked up several things, including one of Daifukuji's classic "Try Sit" bumper stickers.