Best of HONOLULU 2024: Shopping on O‘ahu

SEE ALSO: Best of HONOLULU 2024

• The Best Food & Drinks on O‘ahu
• The Best of Health & Wellness on O‘ahu
• The Best Services on O‘ahu
• The Best Entertainment and Leisure on O‘ahu
• The Best Beauty & Self-Care on O‘ahu
• The Best of HONOLULU Family on O‘ahu

Best Beach-and-Beyond Bag

If you need a mood boost, may we suggest a daily dose of Las Olitas handbags. The fledgling beachwear label is taking dopamine dressing to euphoric new heights with totes, bucket bags and crossbody styles that pair bold tropical graphics with vibrant, feel-good color combos. Made in Hawai‘i from beach-ready neoprene, the bags also come trimmed with contrasting neon zippers and sporty rope straps. Slip one on for an instantly brighter day and ensemble. —BT

lasolitas.com, @las0litas

Best Garden Shop

Reader Pick

If you’re surprised at how much money you’ve forked over for houseplants, you’re not alone. We love our leafy friends. And no matter how many we amass, there always seems to be a cool new variety to swoon over. Partially to blame for this is Mari’s Gardens, the locally owned nursery-garden shop whose well-stocked outposts in Kaka‘ako, Mililani and Kailua make it easy to feed our plant obsession. Along with the trendiest plant species, Mari’s offers fruit trees, native Hawaiian plants, cacti and flowers. You’ll also find gardening tools, soil, a plethora of pots and more. —BT

Multiple locations, marisgardens.com, @maris_gardens

Best Crystal Shop

Tucked inside South Shore Market at Ward Village, Rock Candy is filled with colorful crystals selected by owner Chelsea Gines, who opened the shop in 2021. Nothing is batch-bought, and Gines carefully researches vendors, carvers and mines to make sure the products she carries adhere to ethical practices. A friend who’s deep into crystal culture says she’s spotted some unusual pieces there that she hasn’t seen anywhere else. And while crystal shops can be intimidating for those who know nothing about them, Rock Candy aims for inclusion. “We welcome spiritual people, scientists and fashion people,” Gines says. “We’re for everyone.” —DS

South Shore Market, 1170 Auahi St., #163, @rockcandyhawaii

Best Vintage Clothing Membership

Illustration: Christine Labrador

As the ancient fashion proverb goes: A mu‘u a day keeps the outfit boredom away. That’s something you could foreseeably achieve with a membership to the Mu‘umu‘u Library, which boasts hundreds of vintage and gently used dresses (the majority from Hawai‘i-based labels) that are available to take out on loan. Various membership packages offer tiered access to the catalog and the library’s collection of sewing patterns and literature. Plus, members can get in on sewing circles, workshops at the library’s Ward studio space and fun mu‘u-themed events. —BT

Ward Centre, 1200 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 220, muumuulibrary.org, @muumuulibrary

SEE ALSO: Stunning Mu‘umu‘u Worn at the 2024 Mu‘u at the Museum

Best Outerwear

Photo: Courtesy of Salvage Public

A word to the fashion-wise: It would be easy to focus your attention on Salvage Public’s cool graphic tees. We get it—we’ve developed our own addiction. But don’t sleep on the local label’s stellar outwear. Though its jackets are at the higher end of the brand’s price points, they’re well worth it, boasting a slew of crazy-good design details. Take the vintage-style Naval Laua‘e jacket, for instance, made in Japan with zipped side seams, magnetic front pocket closures and gusseted shoulder seams. Or the Ililani Rain Jacket, crafted from a waterproof Japanese performance nylon and outfitted with snap-off sleeves and reflective print at the cuffs and back. They’re investment pieces that will only appreciate in swag. —BT

South Shore Market, 1170 Auahi St., salvagepublic.com, @salvagepublic

Best Breezy Separates

Whether employing gauzy crinkled linen or a relaxed crunched cotton (as seen in our cover model Kellyna’s two-piece set), Kailua label Gillia is an expert at creating effortlessly chic tops and bottoms that can be rocked together or mixed and matched to stylish effect. —BT

131 Hekili St., Suite 113, Kailua, gilliaclothing.com, @gilliaclothing

Best Sun Hat

Sunshine in hat form is how we would describe Waialua label Day Camp’s breezy toppers. Built like a bucket hat but with a taller crown and wider brim that can be flipped up to charming effect, they look fab on just about every dome. Designer Wendy Snow hand cuts the headwear in small batches and offers them in simple solids, chic leopard and dotted patterns, and (our fave) poppy hand-stamped floral prints. —BT

daycampcollective.com, @daycamp.collective

Best Keiki Gift Shop

If we were to assign Selfmade Something a class superlative, it would easily be: Most likely to make other kids jealous. That’s because the mom-owned keiki shop is brimming with design-forward games, toys, activities and books that are just as cool looking as they are educational and fun. Since opening in 2023, the shop has become one of our gift go-tos for style-minded ‘ohana. We love that it prioritizes quality materials and sources from indie designers and AAPI-owned brands. —BT

Ward Centre, 1200 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 41B, selfmadesomething.com, @selfmadesomething

Best Eyeglasses

By now, you probably know about Mohala Eyewear, the local label that changed the glasses game with its sunnies designed for Asian faces. But you may not realize that designer Ashley Johnson recently expanded her line to include equally chic prescription eyeglasses. Currently, you can shop four core styles in a variety of hues. You can even try before you buy, à la Warby Parker, and take three pairs out for a quick five-day spin. —BT

mohalaeyewear.com, @mohalaeyewear

Best Eco-Boutique

Reader Pick

Going green doesn’t mean you need to overhaul your life. Small changes can make a big impact—something Hunter Long and Jill Deolindo understood when they opened the Keep It Simple zero-waste shop in Kaimukī in 2020. True to its name, the items stocked are easy to incorporate into current routines. Swap plastic wrap for beeswax food covers, opt for reusable silicone sandwich pouches, and trade shampoo bottles for shampoo bars from the refill station. They’re also fun and stylish—the wool dryer balls feature rainbow and monstera designs, the bamboo brushes give off a cool Japandi vibe, and the apparel racks are filled with eco-chic bikinis and upcycled aloha shirts. —BT

3466 Wai‘alae Ave., (808) 744-3115, keepitsimplezerowaste.com, @keepitsimplehonolulu

SEE ALSO: Our 5 Favorite Hawai‘i Shops for Eco-Friendly and Zero-Waste Products