The best shopping on O’ahu

Best grocery store with stylish gifts to buy

Most of the markets have stalls selling seasonal produce for spontaneous splurge. But, honestly, a lot of that superfluous crap ends up cluttering up cabinets or under car seats (for years). Mother Earth offers an exception. The family-run stores carry chic, cute and coveted holiday items and gift items dotted around the aisles. Each location offers its own unique mix of our favorite local and national retailers including Jana Lam x Plant Sax plant holders, Jules + Gem candles, Bradley & Lily greeting cards, Workshop 28 kitchen essentials , Food52 cookbooks and Sugarfina candies. Really, wherever you shop, you’ll find something fresh and fresh, besides lettuce, of course.

Several locations, foodland.com, @foodlandhi —SM

---

Best jewelry store

Reader choice

Diamonds can also be a man’s best friend, if you shop at Tiffany and company. The luxury jewelry retailer known for its engagement rings recently launched a men’s line, with single diamonds set in thick bands for a new take on the style popularized by the company. For nearly 30 years in the islands, Tiffany has been a reference for jewelry, from the Paloma Picasso and Elsa Peretti collections to more recent collaborations, such as with the pop star Blackpink Rosé. Local stores also carry Hawai’i exclusive items, including surfboards, cotton canvas beach bags, silk sarongs, and Turkish towels, all in this signature Tiffany blue.

Several locations, tiffany.com, @tiffanyandco —KV

---

SEE ALSO: Best of Honolulu 2021: Best Fitness and Outdoors on O’ahu

---

Best surf / beach art gallery

A visit to Hale’iwa Polu Gallery creates a wacky déjà vu for the scene you just left outside its doors – the bright beach miracle of the North Coast surf scene. Countless visitors and locals have brought home the original vision of an artist Polu to appear on a wall for its restorative vibes. Drawing on his Japanese gallery and WaikÄ«kÄ« Green Room, Jun Yoshimura opened Polu in 2016 and has since organized mostly local artists. You can browse rows of cellophane prints stored in racks just like vinyl records, with the same dreamy pleasure. Even if you don’t buy printmaking or painting, you can still get a packet of note cards.

Several locations, polugallery.com, @polugallery —DW

---

Best local hand sanitizer

When hand sanitizer gained impulse buy status, dozens of local manufacturers began to mix theirs. Our favorite is at Lanikai Bath and Body. Unlike the liquid versions, the thicker gel is ultra-hydrating without being sticky, won’t run off your palm, and comes in light but true scents including plumeria, pÄ«kake, and beach. The Kailua-based store also carries vaporizers in keychain-friendly bottles or dispensers that are small enough to pass TSA inspections (1.3 ounces) and come in brightly colored, poppy silicone cases. . Give them a hand.

600 Kailua Road, Suite 119, Kailua, (808) 262-3260, lanikaibathandbody.com, @lanikaibathandbody —CY

Best Aloha Outfit

Reader choice

Rightly so, our readers have selected the godfather of aloha shirts, Reyn spooner, for the best Aloha outfit. No eyebrows raised here. The renowned fashion house is renowned for its unique Hawaiian fabrics, reliable classic fits and unwavering quality. We know many grandfathers who still wear the same ’70s aloha shirts. That said, the beloved brand also focuses on forward-thinking ingenuity and creativity to stay relevant here and around the world; his face masks were in high demand during the pandemic. The new ranges of aloha shirts that feature hand-painted designs by popular local artists and commemorative moments and events will, without a doubt, become your next wardrobe trophies.

Several locations, reynspooner.com, @reynspooner —SM

---

SEE ALSO: Vote for your favorites in the best stores of HONOLULU

---

Best place to start your native garden

These are all native plants and canoe to Hui KÅ« Maoli Ola, the nursery that stretches across the verdant slopes of the Ha’ikÅ« Valley. Twenty-two years after Rick Barboza and Matt Schirman kicked off their post-graduate experiment with a few plants on a bench, their babies are now transported to City Mill, Home Depot, and the Navy Exchange Mall near Pearl Harbor. The nursery’s new landscaping division puts the finishing touches on Turtle Bay Resort’s redesigned grounds, including towering coconut palms and hala, 7,000 white-petalled naupaka and 10,000 flowering pōhinahina plants covering the ground. “Hawai’i is the extinction capital of the world,” says Barboza, “but there are little things everyone can do to help reverse this trend.”

46-403 Ha’ikÅ« Road, Kāne’ohe, (808) 235-6165, hawaiiannativeplants.com, @hui_ku_maoli_ola —MT

---

Best locally designed house dress

Knit dresses and dazzling fancy dresses are the trends this fall. Are you serious? Sorry, Vogue, With Hawaii’s Humidity, Spring’s Airy Dressing Gowns Stick Out, Especially Gilliabasics effortlessly. The local label wows us with its super-soft cotton dresses that look like you’re wearing nothing, but the chic cuts are fabulous enough to be worn from the coast to the city. Her new Essence collection features ethereal caftans in soft, muted hues produced by a natural vegetable dyeing process, and some pieces have pockets! You know, to keep all the compliments you get.

gilliaclothing.com, @gilliaclothing —SM

---

Best local necklaces for layering

We love layering: Jell-O, clothes, necklaces, you get the gist. However, there is an art to creating a stylish #neckmess; it highly depends on the texture, length and appearance. Love me knots, a local jewelry house run by patrons Sophia Vuong Pai and Jaclyn Park, offers over 50 varieties of necklaces, including chunky link chains, personalized charms, elegant gold strands, beaded ballet flats and necklaces. rafters. With so much to choose from, you’re bound to find styles that complement each other and your wardrobe. And if you need a little inspiration to master the layering trend, check out the LMK website; it’s stacked with chandelier samples.

lovemeknotshi.com, @lovemeknothi —SM

---

SEE ALSO: Best of HONOLULU Family 2021

---

Brick-to-click transformation

Allison Izu Song enjoys connecting personally with her clients. But when the pandemic hit, the only way to “connect” was online. Like other local brands, Allison Izu expanded digitally, updating its website and appearing more on social media. What we really enjoyed last year was Izu Song’s delivery service, courtesy of his team and the drivers at Roberts Hawai’i. And we still enjoy his ongoing Izu / Tri Before You Buy program. Customers can try six pieces, plus two recommended by Izu Song, for $ 10, with discounts available if you end up buying three or more. In addition, being part of their click has downstream benefits. Currently, she is strengthening the service by working with other local brands that can be included in deliveries in which customers try on clothes. She says, “The more we research and learn, the more unique opportunities will arise. “

Ala Moana Center, office 3111, (808) 427-6379, allisonizu.com, @allisonizu—SM

---

The rest of the best: Readers’ Choice

Best Aloha Outfit

Finalist: Manuheali’i

Several locations, manuhealii.com, @manuhealii

Best furniture store

Winner: Homeworld

Several locations, homeworld.com, @homeworldfurniture

Finalist: Inspiration Interiors

Several locations, inspirationinteriors.com, @inspirationinteriors

Best jewelry store

Finalist: Nā Hōkū

Several locations, nahoku.com, @nahokujewelers

Best place for home Accessories

Winner: SoHa Living

Several locations, sohaliving.com, @sohaliving

Finalist: Target

Several locations, target.com, @target

Best place for shoe shopping

Winner: Nordstrom

Ala Moana Center, office 2950, ​​(808) 953-6100, nordstrom.com, @nordstrom

Finalist: Macy’s

Several locations, macys.com, @macys

Best place to buy art

Winner: Photos Plus

Several locations, imagesplusprints.com, @picturesplusshawaii

Finalist: Nohea Gallery

Several locations, noheagallery.com, @noheagallery