Frommer's Kauai - Jeanette Foster [167]
Also behind Kong Lung is Island Soap and Candle Works ( 80 8/828-1955;www.handmade-soap.com), which has been making traditional soaps for more than 2 decades. What started as a mom-and-pop operation in 1984, today is still the only soap and candle factory in Hawaii, with two locations on Kauai and a third on Oahu. You can stop by to watch them hand-pour the soap and, depending on which soap they are making that day, see them add coconut, olive, palm, macadamia, or kukui nut oils, as well as herbs and essential oils, to each bar. There is a small retail shop on the property.
In Hanalei, at Ola’s, by the Hanalei River on the Kuhio Highway (Hwy. 560) after the bridge and before the main part of Hanalei town ( 80 8/826-6937), Sharon and Doug Britt, an award-winning artist, have amassed a head-turning assortment of American and island crafts, including Doug’s paintings and the one-of-a-kind furniture that he makes out of found objects, driftwood, and used materials. Britt’s works—armoires, tables, lamps, bookshelves—often serve as the display surfaces for others’ work, so look carefully. Lundberg Studio handblown glass, exquisite jewelry, intricately wrought pewter switch plates, sensational handblown goblets, and many other fine works fill this tasteful, seductive shop. Be on the lookout for the wonderful koa jewel boxes by local woodworker Tony Lydgate.
From health foods to groceries to Bakelite jewelry, Hanalei has it all. For quick and healthy lunches or shopping for a week’s groceries try Papaya’s Natural Foods, 5-5161 Kuhio Hwy. ( 80 8/826-0089). Just across the street the Ching Young Village Shopping Center, in the heart of Hanalei, covers a lot of bases. It’s more funky than fashionable, but Hanalei, until recently, has never been about fashion. Hot Rocket ( 80 8/826-7776) is ablaze with aloha shirts, T-shirts, Reyn Spooner and Jams sportswear, flamingo china, backpacks, pareu, swimwear, and, for collectors, one of the finest collections of Bakelite accessories you’re likely to see in the islands. Savage Pearls ( 80 8/826-9397;www.savagepearls.com) features a terrific collection of Tahitian black pearls, with everything from loose pearls to elegant settings to custom designs (they even repair jewelry).
Next door to Ching Young Village is On The Road to Hanalei ( 80 8/826-7360), which is definitely worth your time to wander around in and check out the unusual T-shirts (great gifts to take home because they don’t take up much suitcase space), scarves, pareu, jewelry, and other unique gifts.
Across the street in the Hanalei Center, the standout boutique is the Yellowfish Trading Company ( 80 8/826-1227), where owner Gritt Benton’s impeccable eye and zeal for collecting are reflected in the 1920s to 1950s collectibles: menus, hula-girl nodders, hula lamps, rattan and koa furniture, vases, bark-cloth fabric, retro pottery and lamp bases, must-have vintage textiles, and wonderful finds in books and aloha shirts.
Chapter 10: Kauai After Dark
Kauai is known for lots of things: the most beautiful beaches in the state, the magnificent Na Pali Cliffs jutting into the ocean, the incredible rainforests, and the wide panoramas of the Waimea Canyon, but it is not known for a vibrant nightlife. This is a rural island, where work stops when the sun goes down and people go to bed early. There are a few nightlife options, but you pretty much have to search them out and be ready to blend into the