by Jonathan Howery
April 4th, 2015




Waikiki in Hawaiian means spouting water. The area was originally swampland until its development in the early 20th century. The canals were dredged and swamps were drained. The area was eventually cleared and built upon with the intent of bringing people from the mainland to the island. Hotels went up, visitors came, and the HI life of shopping slid right on in. With our little slice of a tourism district, on the streets of Waikiki you can find everything and anything you could imagine. From high tech gadgets and Apple products to authentic Hawaiian crafts and local surf shops its all within the corners and confines of the neighborhood. You don’t have to go far to find stylish fashion centers and designer boutiques.

Shopping centers like the Waikiki Shopping Center, Royal Hawaiian Center, and DFS Galleria offer a variety of items that you can only find on our lovely islands. Click here to see a directory of the shops located in Waikiki. High end outlets litter Kalakaua Avenue and there’s no telling what you could stubble around to find. From designer fashion and high-end jewelry to ukuleles and Hawaiian arts and crafts. Waikiki offers the ultimate fashions and designs in Honolulu. From exotic imports to locally made trinkets on the very streets. Window shopping is easy as you can get lost in browsing shops around the Waikiki Beach Walk. All along the main strips of Kalakaua and Kuhio Avenues, you can explore a multitude of shops to find the perfect mementos of your journey or souvenirs for loved ones back home.

There used to be the International Market Place on Kalakaua where you could have access to tons and tons of little pull out shops peddling their items. Since the city made plans on building resorts and condos, those shops had to move. You can now find them hidden in alleyways and scattered throughout Waikiki. But beyond the ABC stores packed full of 5 shirts for $20 you can get hand woven Aloha shirts and muumuus a.k.a. Hawaiian dresses. There’s local merchandise (Hawaiian jewelry, macadamia nuts quilts, art, Kona coffee, ceramics, games, books, and more) all available for purchase. You just have to get out and venture into the capitalist mindset of shop til you drop. Enjoy your vacation here in the lovely Hawaiian Islands.

Loa’a wale lā!

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