how to be a social wahine

everywhere you look, there seems to be a new business opening up in the islands owned by a woman with only a dream and a little bit of moxie to guide her. for the rest of us, all this grrl power has meant access to the latest styles, gourmet treats, a helping hand, and a few more choices which is definitely a good thing in a world gone mad with big box stores.

however, the demands of being your own boss means 24/7 is spent nurturing your creation making it difficult to take a breather to dish with other business owners. and that's where social wahines comes in.

the island style networking group is the creation of morgan childs & danielle scherman, two local girls who made their way to nyc where they launched successful event planning companies. after morgan returned home to the islands, the two friends noticed hawaii's newest generation of businesswomen needed a way to collaborate with other like minded ladies. and so, social wahines was born earlier this year as a way for young professional women in the islands to expand their circle by mixing business with pleasure.

events are held on the last tuesday of the month and have included wine tastings, spa nights, and sample sales (in fact, many of the participants at last weekend's closet swap are members of social wahines). this is definitely not your parents' networking group. in addition to bouncing ideas off people who understand your world, membership has its privileges including discounts at sw partners, access to an online message board, and a resource directory.

sound good? click over to the membership application and join the fun!

olukai spring 2007

w's ama

the spring/summer 2007 collection from olukai is now posted on their website. for those who are not familiar with olukai, the premium footwear line made its debut last year and the company's focus is on constructing a super comfortable slipper (one of the founders, who was born in hawaii, previously worked at nike) without sacrificing style. even better, olukai is committed to being environmentally responsible during the manufacturing process and is keeping the kokua spirit alive by partnering with the rabbit kekai foundation.

m's kula

click here to find the nearest olukai dealer or hit zappos which usually has the best selection of olukai online (a quick check revealed that only a few of the new styles are currently available but more are scheduled to arrive in the next month or so). like many, i was a bit leery about ordering shoes online however, after placing my first zappos order last month during a desperate search for new shoes before i went home, i am officially a convert.

my experience was very pleasant since the customer reviews helped me determine if a shoe would be a good match and zappos offers free shipping on orders & returns (my package arrived the very next day). the best perk, aside from not having to trudge from store to store searching in vain for the right style/size/color, was being able to test my choices at home with my closet only a few steps away. viva zappos!

pat's island delights

gourmet hawaiian treat basket

whenever we go to the waiau zippy's, the pat's island delights shop across the way always beckons me but i never stopped in because i assumed it was just a snack shop. and since my aunty's pantry is always stocked with treats the last thing we need are more snacks in the house.

then, before the last trip home, i discovered via kat of our adventures in japan that pat's is really more of a gourmet snack shop so i finally explored their website and with a few clicks discovered volcano island honey, hawaiian kine taro chips, foodstuff from maui culinary academy & so much more stocked online.

intrigued and in need of omiyage gifts to bring back to the mainland, i paid a visit to the shop and was delighted to find all the foodie treats on my wish list in one convenient location. you could easily drop a lot of money here and it was difficult to restrain myself since everywhere i turned there was something to tempt my taste buds. this is definitely a good place to go if you need a nice hostess gift or want to shake things up and give mainland ohana something a little different.

and a nice bonus for folks outside hawaii is that instead of racking up shipping charges at various websites you can hit pat's for one stop shopping and add a few more goodies to your cart with the money you saved.

pat's is located in town (ground floor of the davies pacific center at queen street) and at the waiau shopping center in pearl city.

{update | jan 2010: pat's pc outpost has been shuttered since a fire a few years ago so find your way to the town shop to scoop up 'ono island delights}

ani's bake shop

apple sweetbread . . . yum!

one of our traditions when we go home is to buy a loaf of ani's apple sweetbread to enjoy at the beach after my fella's dawn patrol sessions. it is so ono and i like to tell myself that the apple filling counts as a serving of fruit. the only problem is that even though ani's is stocked at stores like longs and foodland there is never any guarantee that the apple bread will be on the shelf.

so before we headed to the airport, we stopped by ani's bake shop in the halawa industrial park (adjacent to mauna loa hq) to pick up a few loaves to send to a friend. the bake shop is sweetbread heaven with every flavor ani's makes available and freshly baked to boot. in addition to apple, you can grab loaves of sweetbread with coconut, guava & more fruit fillings as well as taro bread and our friend's favorite mac nut cinnamon bread.

one thing i learned during my visit is that ani's is a sweet local success story of a mom & pop business that makes over a million dollars a year in revenue . . . that's a lot of bread! read more and get inspired at the star-bulletin.

another surprise was the small case at the register filled with a variety of donuts which are quite satisfying if you have a sweet tooth. the donuts are not available online but you can take your pick of ani's sweetbreads on their website.

map it!

punalu'u bake shop

pahala sweetbread box

those who have made the drive from kona to volcano know that somewhere along the way you are going to get hungry. if you can hold out until the halfway point, you can stop by the punalu'u bake shop (which touts itself as the southernmost bakery in the states) and enjoy sandwiches & burgers made on some of the best sweetbread in the islands.

and now that the online bake shop is open you don't have to wait until your next trip to the big island to satisfy your craving for their onolicious taro sweetbread. the online shop also stocks punalu'u's popular shortbread cookies in flavors like mac nut, coffee, guava & coconut which are perfect for sharing with friends during the holidays.