Where to find the best music shops in Kapa‘a? Top-5 options

Three years ago I stopped in Larry’s Music on a whim. I wanted to relax and enjoy my time in Kauai and was determined to take this opportunity to acquire some ukulele skills while here. From the moment I stepped in to the shop I felt very welcome. Sammy is an energetic, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and fun guy. It really made me wish I lived next door so I could stop by and just hang out – it has that kind of feel there. After feeling comfortable that I could indeed learn some simple tunes, I immediately purchased my uke. I spent the next 2 weeks carrying the thing with me everywhere… strumming the same 3 chords Sammy showed me. It drove my wife and everyone around me for more than 20 minutes completely nuts.

Now 3 years later we returned to Kauai. I’ve since spent a good amount of time with my uke off & on. I’ve had some lessons at a “Guitar Center” store in San Mateo, CA but really didn’t feel they helped much as the person teaching me never remembered where we left off the week before and always rushed my lesson after being late to start. Now that I was back in Kauai I wanted to stop in again and see what changed. I was also considering buying a new ukulele for myself and giving my old one to my now 5 yr. old daughter.

Sammy was still there and just as energetic. I met his wife & 2 kids who are all just really great. For privacy reasons I won’t mention their names on here but they definitely had Sammy’s warm & fun energy as they immediately connected with my daughter and were happy to play with her while I browsed the shop. I bought a new tenor ukulele here, and recently discovered that I purchased one of their uke’s that weren’t serialized when they first started making their own. I was intrigued to learn that they manufacture their own line of ukulele’s because of their refusal to accept “okay” sounding uke’s from other makers.

I overheard Sammy explain to another customer that Koa wood ukulele’s look really nice but really don’t sound very good in comparison to other types – he called it “swamp wood” – haha! I’m pretty sure they sell Koa wood Uke’s here, but Sammy won’t steer you wrong for what you need if you require a little guidance.

So, I left with a new ukulele (pretty darn cheap too!) that sounds great and a music book and a few new mini-lesson things to work on.

I absolutely love this place! We took our picture with Sammy and his family before leaving – hope to share it on Google+ soon.

Very cool shop – fine spread of bodyboards in addition to beautiful ukes and instrument repair. Gets science, hubboards, others. The hours are limited but Sam does sales by appointment. Helped me figure out what I need and get all set to shred. Prices were better than the surf shops. Mahalo!

This is a great place to explore and buy ukuleles… We stopped at this place while exploring Kauai/Kappa and ending up getting our first uke.. Elize is a great artist and a very friendly person… A great Hawaii experience from a local.. He also helped us with first free lesson… No rush to buy & got a chance to buy it on next visit…. This is a local business and great place to buy ukuleles .. Also helps to get a great deal on uke and take Hawaiian memories back home.. Highly Recommended!!

Great and knowledgeable sales folks. Be careful about the “Larry’s Custom” cases. Not good! Barely good enough to bring back on the plane. Need a case made by the manufacturer to protect your ukulele long term. BTW who sells Kamka Ukuleles without a case? For the money they charge it should always come with a case from the manufacturer. Too bad I was in a hurry. Everyone was in hurry that day.

My only review is due to the fact that they are actually closed weekends in a resort area. Makes no sense. Would have bought one but alas…no deal.

I wanted to like this shop. Plenty of expensive ukuleles on the wall. Sam may be friendly but I guess he was busy. Jay greeted me and is very into himself. He was selling Kamoa ukes made on Kauai at high prices. He only had a few minutes to chat as he had to ship ukes out. These might be equivalent to Kala and lots of used ones on eBay. I guess if you want one made in Hawaii, this would qualify. Shop not so friendly for me.

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

We stopped for shave ice at a place next to Larry’s Music. (Best shave ice on the island “Wailua Shave Ice” in Kapaa.) After we experienced the best shave ice on the island, we walked over to Larry’s Music. We met Sam and Wolfgang. What transpired after was simply magical. If you are curious, interested in Ukulele’s or are a seasoned musician, don’t leave the island without experiencing this place. Sam will educate you on what makes the best sounding ukes. If you want to leave the island with an experience, whether you buy or not, do yourself a favor and don’t leave the island without stopping in to Larry’s Music store. We purchased one of his finer ukuleles and will be back before we leave to purchase another one. 5+ stars!!

Friendly staff and very helpful. They gave all the time we needed to make the right selection. It was a positive buying experience. thank you

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.

Beautiful and intentional store, I love stopping in here!

The vibes at this shop are immaculate. So much so that when I was having a bad day, simply visiting the shop—and interacting with the workers there—managed to completely uplift my mood for the rest of the day.

I had the best experience there. Excellent customer service. One of the guys working there even offered to tune the cheap ukulele I was carrying around. I bought a few things there too that I definitely don’t regret buying. I highly recommend going to this shop.

This store and the employees have my support…awesome attitude and meaning behind the products they sell…highly recommend going in and talking with them and buying something meaningful to you

Bought my Ukulele here. Was great experience and they know a lot. There are many styles and brands and price ranges to choose from. They have tons of other instruments as well.

I bought my first ukulele here today. The owner was so kind, patient and helpful to me and my family. I am looking so much forward to learn how to play this wonderful instrument!

great place bought my drum set there its the best…but do you guys sell novation launchpads??