Aloha Reader,

I get asked a version of the same question all the time. People want to know how they can support Hawaii without booking a flight, especially during the months when a trip just isn't in the cards. My answer is always the same. Shop the businesses that are actually there.

Over the years I've built up a pretty long list of favorites, mostly small and mostly women or Native Hawaiian owned, and I keep coming back to the same handful when I want something that feels like home. Here's what's currently living in my closet, my kitchen, and my laptop bag.

I start almost every puzzle night with Surf Shack Puzzles. They're wahine owned and ohana operated, and every image comes from a woman artist, which you can feel in how considered the designs are. The pieces themselves are what sold me though. They're made from recycled board and they just feel substantial in a way a lot of puzzles don't.

For food, I order from Kahuku Farms more than I probably should admit. Their DIY acai set ships with macadamia nut crumble, lilikoi butter, honey, granola, and cacao nibs, so you basically get the North Shore acai bowl experience in your own kitchen. Their lilikoi balsamic dressing has become a staple in my house too. It sounds like an odd combination until you try it.

Clothing is where I really can't help myself. Guava Shop in Haleiwa is where most of my aloha t-shirts come from, the ones I wear basically year round whether I'm in Hawaii or not. When I need a dress that can go from a photo shoot to dinner to a luau without a costume change, I reach for something from Holoholo Surf, a Maui shop known for its aloha wear and muumuu as much as its surfboards. Kahulalea is another go to for dresses, and for aloha shirts for my boys. Every print they use tells a specific story, tied to a place or a plant or a family memory in Hawaii, which makes the clothes feel like more than just fabric. And I'm currently waiting on a dress from Yireh made from an early 2000s Hawaiian print, after ordering my ten year old an aloha shirt from them for our next trip. Their prints run in limited batches, so once a design sells out it's gone for good.

A few more that don't fit neatly into one category. I wore a pair of Coco Moon lounge pants for three straight days this summer because I genuinely did not want to take them off, they're that soft. My laptop cover is from Lei'ohu Designs, a Native Hawaiian wahine owned brand, and it makes me happy every single time I open my computer. And I own more lei t shirts from Mahina Made than I probably need, but they dress up so easily with a skirt or a pair of jeans that I keep buying more.

None of this requires a plane ticket. It just requires knowing where to look, and now you do.

Aloha,

Marcie

P.S. Today's podcast episode is about Hawaii Rental Cars in 2026: What's Changed (Plus My Turo Experiment)​