Not only do I appreciate Rob as a good friend, I respect him as an emerging artist. His work not…read moreonly conveys raw talent which inspires, but he has the inherent talent to incorporate sublime details through his art medium. I purchased one of his pillow covers as a gift, and I know the recipient will be wow'd just as I was. Take a look at his work and allow yourself the pleasure that is born out of Rob's unique and quintessentially stunning works. Patrick :-)

It has been great seeing Rob emerge into creating art successfully from his previous full time…read morecareer. His work captures a sense of Hawaii and its beauty without any falseness. They are clear and one almost feels like one is being transported into the beauty of Hawaii. I bought a pillow because I loved how the design made me feel as if I was at the beach watching a friend get ready to enter the water to surf. He needs to begin to sign his works or create an identifying logo if he wishes to pursue being an artist so that others won't begin to copy his works. Would love to see him do a series on this design that can begin to show the diverse colors that the sky and ocean display at different times of the day.

I met Danielle, the artist, at her gallery at the Twin Fin Hotel in Waikiki. She's created a new…read moreform of art that displays her photography as she envisioned it using makeup and acrylic paints. The results were like nothing I've ever seen before. Beautiful illuminated photos with texture that create 3D photography. Danielle was so nice and beautiful, just like her art.

I have brokered thousands of dollars in Makk art and own many beautiful pieces myself. Makk's are…read moreamazing artists and wonderful people you won't be disappointed. Mahalo! Joe

The clothes on the mannequins in the windows are always so cute, so why is it so hard for me to…read moreever find something cute IN the store?? It may be that this boutique is super super tiny, but I think the reason may lend itself to the fact that their stuff is really Japanesey. Like cute but too out there for my personal taste. They also have kid's clothes and some jewelry, though there seems to be a larger selection of jewelry on their website than in-store. The place is so tiny that the worker really has no choice but to greet me, but no one ever seems to be so interested in what this local girl is shopping for today. It's something I often deal with in Waikiki, and it's just the way it is I guess... but the Japanese tourists seem to really like this boutique. I have noticed that the boutique gets featured in the summer issues of Japanese magazines like JJ and ViVi, so I assume that's their target market...

Silver Star is a tiny boutique located in Waikiki on the corner of Royal Hawaiian Ave. and Kuhio…read moreAve. It's near Loco Boutique and a tattoo and piercing place. Parking is tricky, but I recommend parking at Royal Hawaiian and getting your ticket validate at one of the RH shops... I agree with Christy K. in that the mannequins are always stylish and cute. I, too, have a difficult time finding stuff to buy. And when I do find something, it's priced way higher than the amount I am willing to spend. My biggest splurge at Silver Star was a military styled jacket with a removable fur collar. Yes, a little "out there" for Hawaii... But totally in my line of style. I paid $100-something for that jacket, which seemed slightly unreasonable at the time...but I didn't care. I needed it. After about the 3rd time I wore it, the elastic loops that kept the fur in place started deteriorating and stretched out a bunch. Totally fixable, but I was super bummed...mainly bc I had paid a now ungodly sum of money for a jacket of poor construction that I was almost too lazy to fix. It was an easy temporary fix--I just had to sew the elastic back to the fur a little tighter.. To this day, I still have issues with the elastic loops. Even though I've fixed them a couple of times already, they still seem to stretch out and not stay in place. :( Good thing the jacket is still cute without the fur piece ;) I will most likely go back to Silver Star, but only if I'm in the area. It's not worth a special trip to Waikiki. Yelp 365 - #252/365

Keeping it local…read more.. With the holiday season in full mode finding that item for me personally is the challenge as I just can't do just gift cards I love to get the item that connects with the receiver and though you know your bestie or family member the look when it was the one is just special. M Check out Nick Kuchar which is located in the upper level of Target wing across from It's Sugar as this pop up will be here now through January 5th 2025. Waking in it was so nice to see a variety of merchandise from T-shirts to totes and super cute and creative art prints that give the vintage vibe is so vibrant and colorful but I loved their silicone cup which I thought was usual and don't think I've ever seen one before what I think is nice that it'll be good for both hot and cold drinks that's not a mug or flask. Love the artsy vibe as this shop was put together in just one day...anything is possible. Thank you!

Nothing but good vibes and aloha at this art studio Paola…read morewas hands-down one of the sweetest people I've ever met -- so friendly, welcoming, and full of genuine aloha spirit. She made us feel right at home from the moment we walked in. We've been HUGE fans of Nick's artwork for a while now after seeing his pieces at Sunset Provisions Coffee Shop and Ala Moana, and online. so finally visiting the studio felt extra special. His art is seriously next level -- so vibrant, colorful, and happy, just like island life. Every piece feels full of sunshine and joy. This studio is pure Hawaii energy -- creative, uplifting, and full of heart. If you love art that makes you smile and people who make you feel welcome, this place is a must-stop. Mahalo for such a beautiful experience -- we'll definitely be back!

Attended a Mise Hawaii Pop-up at 932-1 Pumehana Street in McCully, the new home of M33Ms and Emiko…read moreMiyazawa. She shares space with Andrew Mau of Mau_House. The featured artist that day was Amber Cheseboro of Salty Girl Jewelry. Amber is venturing into 14kt gold and diamonds, beautiful, but too pricey for me...sigh! I found beautiful sterling silver bracelets from M33Ms and black leather embossed coasters and opihi bottle opener/objet d'art from Mau_House. Both Emiko and Andrew are very friendly and hospitable, offering sparkling bottled water or orange juice when you arrive. And they wrap your purchases with care and in high end packaging so it looks and feels classy! Woo hoo!

I am a huge fan of Emiko's designs!!! The quality of the material she uses is amazing and I love…read moreher unique designs. I've gone to her scheduled holiday pop-ups at her store front on Pumehana Street the last couple of years and have also gone to see her booth at the Made in Hawaii event multiple times. She really takes a personal approach with her customers and makes shopping fun. The only difficult part is not buying everything she sells! If you ever have a chance to visit Emiko, you should! You'll end up with beautiful, unique pieces for yourself and/or gifts.

We are vacationing in Hawaii staying in Waikiki. While walking around the Hilton I discovered…read moreKaiKoa Gallery tucked away from the mainstream of the corridor which caught my eye so I walked inside to check it out. The gallery sizeable with a vast array of contemporary Hawaiian landscapes to modern art using different types of mediums. Robert was very helpful to give us a tour of the pieces telling us about specific pieces that caught our attention. It's a colorful gallery with much to offer those that come inside. Thank you for making us feel welcome in the gallery. Before deciding to post a review I did read some of the reviews and saw that not everyone felt welcome. Please remember to spread the ALOHA spirit KaiKoa Gallery.

Just put a sign that straight up says "purchase required in order to enter" already instead of all…read morethese ugly paper signs all over your windows. So shame to have that in a Hilton property and have NO ALOHA in hawaii. A guy greeted us and I thought he was another patron that just came from the beach. Not presentable at all. Plain black t-shirt, beach looking hair, not well put together. He was discouraging us from staying if we had no intention to buy & I have kids. The kids thing I respect because there's people that let theirs run wild, but not me & this guy is a witness to that cause I scolded mine in front of him telling them to stay close. Anyways, as a niece of a musician and teacher who lives in & is close family friends with the WEALTHY in Los Angeles, I was raised to appreciate art & with my son who's quite artistic himself, I figured visiting this place would help feed the soul, but NOPE! No pictures allowed but someone who left a review took a picture and posted it. Where's your response to them to scold them? You're so all about "respecting" the artists by shaming people that are just looking and can't appreciate their work. Btw based on multiple sources from searching "gallery etiquette" to educate myself and verify what this guy said, because I was listening respectfully - this guy is just a jerk (to put it nicely). Google is free. Don't let him fool you.

Wake up, wake up, get up! it's the first Friday of the month…read more.. When people ask me what is First Fridays. I tell them it's just like a big block party that happens every first Friday of each month in the downtown/chinatown area. At this event, you will find that majority of the shops in the area anything from the bars, pubs, clubs, art galleries, etc. opens up in a big social gathering for everyone. There's a lot of space to walk around and discover the downtown side of Honolulu if you're not familiar with area. There's a bunch of parking structures that you can park in too. Majority of them has flat rate pricing but it can get filled up real quick so you have to be on top of it. If it does fill up by the time you get here then there's always street parking outside of the party zones. It can get crazy here later in the evening. Majority of the crowd doesnt show up until 10:30-ish. So people... get here before the rest of the herd does. Fair warning! Enjoy!

First Friday is not for everyone. I get to experience it if I'm fortunate to be there when there's…read morea first Friday. So Rianne, Melanio, the partner, and myself decided to check it out since they had never been. We started at Bar 35, then twentyninehotel, which we just walked through and didn't drink or anything. It's really interesting to watch all the different types of people in the same area. Professionals, homeless, posers, hookers, hipsters, families, old school Chinese, Yelpers artists, trannies, gays, lesbians, tourists, cousins, etc. Marks Garage had an interesting gallery. There were a couple others we wandered into...and we did this waiting for a table at Lucky Belly. It is a fun place to check out every once in a while. I don't know if I'd come every first Friday...it might lose its charm and appeal. Oh, and parking is a bitch and at a premium. My advice is to bus or cab it in.