Exclusive selection: The top 20 music shops of Hanapēpē Heights

Bought a beautiful ukulele for my daughter. Owners were friendly, knowledgeable, and super helpful!

Great selection of ukeleles!

We spent last week in Kauai and booked two lessons with Ron while we were there. It was the best time my brother-in-law and I could have spent learning finger-picking with a goal of playing Slack Key.

Ron is amazing. A very patient teacher who loves Hawaiian style guitar and teaches that love and respect to each student.

We will book with him every day on future visits to Kauai!

I found this place to be hard to shop at. Due to Covid there are plastic screens up almost all along the counter. The workers while trying to helpful left me feeling very defeated. They do give good guidance. Make sure it is your first stop in your ‘ukulele shopping or you may find what they say contradicting what others say.

Lots of ukelele stuff (naturally) but a lot of accessories that I have never seen before like jelly caps for your fingers so if you’re a beginner you’re fingers won’t hurt as much. A very vast selection of ukeleles and you’re even able to take lessons!

The clerk was not very friendly. We did end up getting a UKE but from another place. Nice selection of instruments.

The woman I spoke with was very kind and helpful, however the gentleman there was rude and dismissive. After making a purchase I was told to leave the store. I won’t be doing any more business here.

Was looking for a ukulele while in Hawaii, and thought this was a good place to try. Sadly, the staff was rude and literally all of the products are behind the counters so when the staff isn’t being helpful… good luck seeing if the ones you like feel or play nicely. On top of that, the store is tiny. Many better I Keller and music stores on Kauai that I’ve found after stopping here. Nicer people, better prices, and you can actually try a few chords without being hassled. Save your time, these people don’t want your money.

They have great fresh produce, but it sells quickly. Yummy papayas, eggplants, squash, beans, bananas, you name it! The cashier is so nice and the prices are reasonable. CASH ONLY.

Great selection

All you need is there ck out nty B

Didn’t buy anything but if you think this store has “Spirits” it really doesn’t. There is practically nothing here in terms or a selection or spirits or wine. There’s more of a selection of food, chips and some beers here. I wouldn’t recommend coming here if you think that there is alcohol here, at all. This is probably good for convenience if you’re staying near here and there’s no other option. It is also a very dirty store, looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in years. Service was also not very good, we didn’t even get greeted when entering the store when it was completely empty and the person working there was right beside us.

The most special addition to our wedding ceremony. The quartet’s song list is quite extensive and they are all such talented musicians. Very grateful for the role they played in our big day. Highly recommend!

I booked Kaycee as a single violinist at my wedding a few weeks ago and she was AMAZING!! I had a couple specific requests regarding song choice and timing, and she delivered perfectly! Her beautiful playing really added to the ambiance of the ceremony and made it so much more special and picturesque. Kaycee is super nice, very responsive, easy to work with, and is obviously a beautiful violinist, I can’t express how perfect the music was!! Thank you Kaycee for making my wedding unforgettable!!

Kaycee’s talent made the moments in our wedding so incredibly special. She plays so beautifully; perfect tempo, perfect sound. Impeccable skill. I’m forever grateful for her contribution on our significant day.

so much fun! we loved walking around all the booths and even purchased some beautiful prints!

A fun mixture of local artists and tasty food! Enjoyed by the locals too!

Go visit this incredible town, the art is fabulous

I’m sure it’s usually better than the experience we had. Due to covid-19, there wasn’t much going on. The bridge is pretty cool and the area is pretty. Most of the shops were closed though, and there was only one place open to eat where I had some of the best Ramen I’ve ever had at Japanese Granny’s Cafe.

Get the Hungarian mushroom soup! Then watch the dancing

This is really more of a farmers market. There are a few people that do music or hula. There is produce, a few food stands, and crafts. It is very small towny. If you are in the area it is worth a visit. But not really worth a drive from the north shore. This part of the island is nice more dry than others so there may be a reason to be in the area just time it for a Friday. There are not much in the way of hotels in this area.

Don’t waste your time twice going in August 2019 then hoping it would actually be something worth while giving it a chance again in August 2021. No vendors no food hardly even the local art stores bothered to open or stay open. We went at the 5-9 period Friday nights stating it would be alive.
Again don’t bother the long drive to basically nothing.
You likely would find it possibly busy in the day. But there really isn’t any effort by the local businesses to make this an event and really should be removed from calendar. If one is driving back from Waimea canyon and wanting to drive thru to get a taste of history then drive thru. But don’t have any expectation that there will be anything open other than town mini mart, used book store.

Super cute vintage boutique on the west side of the island.

Worth the drive and the lady that own the shop at the end of the bridge are very sweet.

Nice lil bridge. 10/10

Cool singing bridge

Worth checking out if you find yourself walking around in historic Hanapepe. It’s fun and kind of exciting to cross it because it does swing and move a bit as you walk.

Make sure you enter from the town side though. If your navigation takes you the back way through the neighborhood you will have a tough time finding it and you will be in a really jacked up and scary part of town.

I like the attraction itself. When I went wasn’t much open. Pity I didn’t get a chance to explore the town more

Nice walk across three river.

This bridge is in total disrepair. The handrail going to the bridge is completely loose. The planks that you walk on are soft and on the verge of breaking. The bridge also needs painting, and it has some graffiti. It is a total liability. I cant believe they let tourists walk on this bridge!

No easy access, nothing special not worth your time.

Nothing to see.. The bridge is CLOSED!! But you don’t know that til you’ve climbed to the top of the stairs, where the sign is.

Well-curated art and gift shop that you can browse and purchase from during restaurant/evening hours. I only wish they offered postcard format of their beautiful vintage-style posters (and fun pineapple art)!

Cool shirts and cute outfits for the ladies

Found a women’s apparel item I wanted to purchase as a wedding gift. Hours said 9 pm close time. I called ahead and they said they closed at 8:30. Got there at 8. Door locked and the guys just looked at me from the kitchen and ignored me. Tried to call again, no pickup. It was an expensive item– they lost a good sale, and future business.

Very comfortable shop. You are able to relax and enjoy the view while getting tattooed. Thad is a great artist. I always schedule an appointment when I am home for a visit.

Sam is a genius. He did an incredible job incorporating my existing Braddahoodz forearm tattoo with the Filipino tribal half-sleeve I requested. He was meticulous with the design, drawing and redrawing it before committing to ink, making sure he told my story through his art. It’s obvious that he is a master of his craft, and the result speaks for itself (I’ve included pictures). I spent two years thinking about and researching and preparing myself for this tattoo, and I am beyond satisfied. He exceeded my expectations, and we had a great time talking story during the five hour session, too! I highly, highly recommend.

Amazing, magical, & unforgettable. My husband and I had our wedding tattoos together here with Samuel. We requested a Tahitian pair of pueos, and he blessed us with a beautiful pair flying alongside each other. He is absolutely fantastic. Fun, uplifting, and contagious energy that fills the room as a safe collaborative space. It was the end of the year, winter months, and the three of us sharing stories by the riverside as we watched gentle rainfall fill the valley. It is one of my most precious memories that I will always treasure. With my highest recommendation and grateful heart I advise you to look no further and book an apt as soon as your soul is ready for an adventure.

Thad was awesome and he did a great job. Mahalo until next time.

great place for a tat2thad

Got my only tattoo there

Mr. Thad Nakao’s skilled Tribal artwork piece is an intricate, detailed piece. But it was not worth the very torturous six hours of pain and unplanned monetary cost I was not expecting to pay almost Midnight, our last night in Kaua’i.

There ought to have been more communication between Thad and I before and during the tattoo session. I explained previously in texts that I had tattoos in the past, longest sitting with breaks was two / two and.a half hours for a Tribal on the side of my right calf which was also painful. We agreed the week before for two hours at between $150.00 to $160.00, $150 if in cash. But because it took six hours, he decreased if to $130 and we didn’t have enough cash. Thad explained it was because the outlines kept rubbing away and had to be re-drawn, taking a whole lot longer. He said there was an ATM down the street in Town. It was almost Midnight and dark and we’re not from the area. There was a man on a bicycle down the street screaming expletives and cursing at a woman also on a bicycle. It didn’t seem safe to walk down the street in the dark to town withdrawing more cash while already carrying more cash on hand.

I ought to have confirmed that the design Thad drew on the left side of my back was going to take two to two and a half hours. He being the Subject Matter Expert in his tradecraft could have told me it may take longer, possibly four plus hours. If I had known it would take six hours, I would not have done the tattoo or stopped or finished off at two hours wherever in the process Thad would be at.

Even though we took around three breaks, I kept imploring to him if we were almost done because it hurt and was way past my two and half hours pain threshold. Thad was also late, almost arriving at 4:00 P. M.. My appointment was 3:30, so I was expecting to be done at 5:30 P.M.. My Spouse was finishing up his tattoo and we would have a nice dinner, our last night in Kaua’i. We were on a limited budget.

While I asked two small designs to be incorporated into the overall deign, I was still expecting the piece to be a simple, light and feminine Tribal piece similar to the picture I sent to him. My back was already shaking from the excruciating experience. I was dry-mouthed because I was running low with water in my water bottle. This is not criticizing the artwork or quality of the tattoo, but the lack of communication of what I was prepared for time and budget-wise. I feel I ought to have been told “.. for two to three hours, you can only do half of this design.” If I was told that, I would have agreed. Thad ought to have told me this was a four to six hours piece and I would have went with another option. Instead what I thought would be only 15 minutes more at the two and half hours mark resulted in four hours of constantly asking “How much more left?” This will be my last tattoo after this torturous, excruciating, and costly experience to my body, wallet, and memory.

Price’s seemed high for the poor folk, the rich folk were enjoying the great stuff at a great price. I bought two dinner plates at one dollar each. Great service for the shoppers as well.

Lots of clothes in good shape for low prices, some are new.

Always find great stuff there well priced and wonderful friendly staff

Lots of stuff. A little pricey for used goods but we did find some gems. The Google photos are deceiving. Not as clean as you’d think, which is fine but still not what I exoected. The employees were friendly. The only negative is that they didn’t let my wife use the restroom. So we had to cut our shopping short which sucks for them cuz we were going to spend more money.

Prices too high for a second hand store.

I purchased 2 tops and a pair of vapes for just over $11, so that was a great deal! But a lot of the other items they have were extremely overpriced for a thrift store. I’m talking close to being what you would pay full price in a regular store.

Everything are well used, about half the price of msrp for donated items.

Overpriced…so not worth the trip out to Hanapepe
One of the cashiers was friendly but the older lady who works there was wicked rude

I do not know how they justify getting stuff for free. And then selling it for the same prices that all the other stores on the island sell their stuff for. My suggestion would be to give to the society of the prevention of homelessness or the salvation army or the better women’s homeless shelter. Then you will know where your donations are going

Cool little shop

An amazing spice shop that has spices, other collectibles and even frozen snacks. You can smell the spices from outside the shop, but it’s not overpowering at all. Visit and shop the wonderful place.

Very nice products and helpful store manager.

They have a wide variety of gifts and spices but they are slightly overpriced.

Neat shop

Cute stuff and highly recommended spiced. I love the fruit wood bowls.

A variety of items some cute, some related to spice and roosters.

Nice to go in and look at stuff but the price for peanut butter was $11

Excellent food and service!

pour moi le meilleur restaurant sur l’île

The best sushi we had in Hawaii! We came here for dinner on our last night in Kauai. Every dish we tried was simply delectable, with the fish being exceptionally fresh and practically melting in our mouths. Here’s a list of our favorites:
1. Yellowtail Jalapeño
2. Sashimi Salad
3. Eel Bomb
4. Spicy Hamachi
5. Hamachi Nigiri
I can’t recall the name of the refreshing drink we enjoyed, but it was the cocktail of the day. The Yuzu cheesecake also left a positive impression. The live music added a delightful touch to the ambience. It seems like it’s only outdoor seating. I would suggest to make a reservation before going. The server Talia was great. She was very attentive and gave great suggestions.

Came here for lunch. Small place with limited seating; but that’s part of the ambiance of the place. It has a small, personal vibe. You can hear the chef talking to the waitress and cooking. Average prices, but very fresh, clean, and tasty ingredients.

We had bento bowls, which were the perfect amount of food.

Waitress forgot us after seating us. Food was good and menu is diabetic friendly.

Great tasting food, not a ton of bang for your buck though.

Quality of food and service was vastly under-whelming. Not sure why this place gets such high reviews.

We waited for a bit more than an hour and had not even been able to get drink orders in so we ended up going elsewhere.

Prime lunch hour on Saturday. Drove out of the way for it. Google says open but is closed all day for a corporate event. Nearby swinging bridge is fun for a few minutes. Town is tiny and a bit run down. I would eat in Waimea if you are hungry coming back from the canyon. Or call ahead.

Went in for a Ukulele, ended up buying three. The clerk who helped us, younger woman, was very helpful and gave us tips on differences between brands and sizes. Never felt any pressure and got better service and prices than other shops we had stopped in on the island.

Local- lot’s of ALOHA, check it out!

Large selection for every budget. Love my new Uke and bag! The staff are amazing and so friendly! Nothing but good things to say.

Very helpful, yet one of the employees here were very rude.

Patient and courteous service. May not be the cheapest available but they might have something in stock where your local dealer may not (which was our case) but it is nice to have someone explain to you things and also let you try the different ukeleles vs an online store. Do be aware that buying a ukelele in Hawaii does NOT qualify as a free carry-on on any airline as the sales staff mentioned.

Informative and incredibly helpful staff.
Make sure to respect the instruments and ask for help before touching.

31 year old Male Staff employee took advantage of me(16 year old). Told me a guitar was 600 dollars retail was 400. Made the mistake of buying it, looked it up later and it was 300 dollars. I knew it was my mistake too. Definitely a store you cannot trust

I was very pleased with my visit to Salty Wahine. The woman took time to explain and let us sample each spice we were interested in. She explained the various buying options and even informed us of how to save money by buying a bulk package. She seemed genuinely enthused by the product and was eager to demonstrate the quality. They even offer to ship the product if you prefer.

The shop is a simple store situated on the end of a warehouse, but it is quite charming. We’ve, so far, used one spice in some fruit salsa and it was wonderful. We purchased a handful of spices and are happy to know they will ship when we run out and their grinders are refillable.

If you are ever in need of Kauai Made Seasonings, look no further than Salty Wahine.

Delicious!!!

Their products are great! Very flavorful. Last time we brought several grinders home; the airport security took a long hard look at everyone of them and even xrayed them.

This time, they were in my husband’s bag and airport x-rayed them, did drug tests on them, made my husband go thru security again and did a very thorough pat down including feeling thru his pants his personal areas. Next time, we are ordering on line.

Nice selection of salt and spice mixes. Friendly staff.

Great spices

Fabulous cookies!

Wonderful cookies but even better a quiet relaxing patio to enjoy them on

One of the Best Cookies on Island! The shop owner is the sweetest! Totally worth the drive or if you’re in town for the Art Walk grab a bag or two

I can only speak for the peanut butter cookies, but I thought they were pretty dry. The staff seemed really nice, though. Maybe some of the more interesting flavors are better?

We bought chocolate coconut and peanut butter flavors. The best thing about the place is the signage because the cookies are dry and crumbly. Staff was not pleasant either.

Customer service was awful. I tried to order 3 macadamia nut cookies for $2.75 as the menu showed as an option. The person working, which I assume was the owner by some of the comments she made, was bagging hundreds of fresh cookies. She said she couldn’t give me 3 cookies until she bagged all the cookies and see if she had any “leftover” to sell the 3 to me. Crazy that she would not sell cookies to a customer right there and ready to make a purchase. Rather she would bag cookies for potential customers that aren’t even there yet. I didn’t buy the bag for cookies. My daughter bought some peanut butter chocolate chip and they were okay.
I don’t recommend this place. Go somewhere where your money is appreciated and where they will actually sell you the product that is intended to be purchased.

Far from the best. Way too dry with almost no flavor. Grandmas cookies from a gas station are way better.

While on vacation several years ago my daughter and I who are both musicians stopped by the Kamoa store to check out some ukuleles. It was a wonderful experience and we learned so much about the instrument. We our first purchase and later when back in Seattle we ordered a second one with a built in pre-amp. My daughter recently brought it out to use in her songwriter showcase and discovered the battery tray was missing. I contacted the store to see if the was still available and they sent it to us at no charge! It is rare to find customer service like that anymore. Thank you Kamoa!!!

Great store, joyful experience. Most of all, nice and generous Sam the man!

Excellent host! Ensuthiasm, so knowledgeable about ukelele

Was excited to stop by and had purchased a ukulele for the 1st time at Kamaka in Honolulu 2 yrs prior. I let the owner know I was an amateur, and as I played, he assumed I’d learned my strumming pattern on YouTube…but I listen to the music I like and interpret as an artist. He told me about the free lessons he offers. I said, “Let me try playing this song and you can tell me what to improve.” He says, “I don’t need to hear it; I can tell you right now.” I was enjoying playing and felt a bit disappointed. But I listened as he told me I was playing much too harshly, audiences do not like that, compared it to fingernails on a chalkboard, and told me as my audience it was basically terrible for him to listen to. I replied that he is like 2 feet away. I also agreed I could try softening my strumming, but his ex.of very soft, slow strumming did not fit the style of the song I was going for. I explained that, and he then told me that his dad had to leave the room b/c of my harsh playing. I said, “If he needs to leave that is his opinion and doesn’t offend me”(although it did make me feel bad!) I teach piano students and can’t imagine saying my husband had to leave the room b/c of the way they were playing the piano!! I guess there’s a reason the lessons are free! He could’ve said something positive and nicely asked, “What if you tried softening your strumming a bit?” I would’ve felt and responded totally differently. I was happy to take feedback but was there also for the enjoyment of trying out the instruments. This quickly dissipated through the interaction. He needs to work on his approach with a potential customer! I would never want to take lessons here, let alone purchase an instrument. Side note:, instead of starting out by explaining all the info about the instruments and knowledge, maybe could try asking what I’m looking for in an instrument. I highly recommend Kamaka Hawai’i, Inc. in Honolulu, because they treated me very kindly and respectfully.
*Response: His answer is unnecessarily scathing and of course refuses to take any responsibility or acknowledge my honest experience.
A. Don’t talk about my daughter; barely worth replying to; she was not crying because she wanted to try a ukulele. Has cried on and off during our trip when tired, and we both try to console her. Sad he’s even trying to bring up parenting to throw in our faces! Wow…no we were not looking for ukulele lessons for her but thanks for the offer. I told her about egg rolls…
B. There was 1 lady worker in the room who was quiet, and she was actually grooving a little after he walked out for a bit ;), & maybe 1-2 other people milling around, so I’d hardly say I was “entertaining” the store. As any musician can understand, we enjoy going in to a music store and trying out instruments for learning and enjoyment..
C. He has no understanding or care about the frustration that I’m expressing here. I feel like he’s not used to sharing knowledge then listening to a slightly different response. He drives his point home at the expense of a person’s feelings. He wants to paint me as an obnoxious person who was there to brag on my talents and annoy everyone, though I berated my skills sev. times, then he says all these ppl walked out who weren’t even there. Keep in mind this was a short episode: I was talking with him, trying to figure out some chords, playing a couple short songs in a virtually empty store, until my terrible playing completely emptied it?
D. This was not an official “lesson” to my knowledge. I was there to try out instruments and be free to do so /ask for input
E. I took his advice by playing a song again more quietly, to which he said it was much better, so again his story is not adding up. Also, at that point, I was the one who showed myself to the door!
F. I was told this is common behavior for store owners/employees on the island, but we did have some nice experiences! I’m sure others have enjoyed this store, but I did not, and feel it is worthwhile to share my experience, even if it means I’m berated vs. validated once again in return.

Great beach. NOT crowded ever! Close by, easy access.

Beautiful

Fun short river that we like to SUP on. Not as good as Hanalei or Wailua River but it’s nice if you want a quick freshwater workout on south shore. You get to paddle under the swinging bridge and can be done in under an hour. The wind makes it hard to paddle up stream and very easy back.

Find the best place to put out is just passed Kulture Tatoo Kollective shop.