Okay - I think I'm in love...with a store! The other day I cruised around Pa'ia town and made the best discovery ever! Tucked away in a two-story building, above Cafe'des Amis Restaurant, is the most fabulous boutique called Northshore Consignment. As I was walking along Baldwin Avenue, I noticed the store's sign so I headed up the narrow staircase, turned left, and walked into heaven! The small green store is sweetly decorated with coconut vases, ti leaves and palm frawns. Most importantly, it is filled with lots of beautiful, stylish, slightly-used clothes. I didn't know where to start looking. Everywhere I turned I saw extremely lovely, colorful clothes for sale at amazingly low prices!
I was greeted by Anna Salcido, who opened her darling boutique 6 months ago. Anna is absolutely radiant, very friendly and obviously has very good taste in selecting the items she sells. She often travels to Bali to buy beautiful handmade jewelry for her store. A wide selection of bracelets, earrings and necklaces embelished with beads and shells, decorate the store's walls. She also has a nice selection of feathers available for purchase. And - get this - she also sells used surfboards!! Not only is Anna a good business woman, she is also very crafty! She takes cute t-shirts and cuts, fringes and ties the fabric into stylish designs that she can barely keep on the shelves.
What a great surprise to find such affordable treasures surrounded by stores whose prices cater to the more high-end clientele who visit Pa'ia Town. Halelujah for a this environmentally conscious, fashion-forward boutique! Northshore Consignment is open Mondays through Saturdays from 11am to 6pm. Anna buys items for her store from the public on Mondays only. It is located at 42 Baldwin Avenue and the phone number is 579-6079. Check it out!
Joe Imhoff and Sara Tekula - Plant A Wish Founders
Last Sunday was the Plant a Wish send off party at Thousand Peaks Beach on Maui's westside. It was another beautiful summer Maui day as Sara Tekula and Joseph Imhoff hosted a delightful gathering to say aloha to their friends and plant native nau paka plants along the coast. The dynamic duo filmmakers are getting ready to take another adventure to the mainland to spread the love through their Plant A Wish organization. The mission of Plant A Wish is to plant a tree in all 50 states of North America as they educate people about the need to preserve and plant trees. They are filming their activities and interviewing environmental experts, concerned citizens and wise elders for a documentary that will eventually be entered into film festivals throughout the country.
As Sara and Joe get their hands dirty in each state's soil planting trees, they also plant biodegradable wishes of each person who attends their events - a meaningful ritual they started at their wedding on Maui in 2007. The husband and wife team launched the Plant A Wish project on Earth Day 2010 and so far have planted trees in 41 united states! They are about to travel once again to the mainland to plant trees in 8 more states - bringing their total to 49! The grand finale of the 50-state tour is a state-wide community effort, attempting a record for the most people planting native Hawaiian trees on one day, in Hawaii, Arbor Day, November 5, 2011.
I was very happy I attended the send off party last weekend. It was a mellow Sunday as the party goers picnicked, paddle boarded and lounged on the beach. I had some great conversations with people I had never met before, and shared some laughs with old friends. Joe and his friend Drew moved rocks and shoveled dirt to prepare the area near the beach for the planting of the native Hawaiian nau paka plants. Just before sunset everyone gathered to hear the story of the nau paka and the plans for the next Plant A Wish adventure. We each threw our wish that we had written on biodegradable paper into a hole in the earth and proceeded to plant and water the nau paka. Then Joe asked all of us to touch the plants and at the same time and shout as loud as we could, to bless the plants with our "ha" which means breath of life, in Hawaiian. It may sound silly - but it felt great. Joe also asked each of us to water the plants if we are ever in the area. As I pulled a kiawe thorn out of my slippah (darn missionaries!) I had a sense of pride to have helped perpetuate native plants on Maui. There were very good vibes in the air and I was suddenly in a really good mood. I was starting to get the deeper purpose of this gathering.
I asked Sara more about their project. She told me she and Joe once had a conversation about what they would want to do with their lives if they had all the money in the world. They both shared the vision of Plant A Wish and decided to make it happen. Through lots of faith, planning, social marketing and fundraising, they launched the project. Sara told me that she and Joe do not pay themselves a salary, they only make enough money from their contributors for airfare, rental cars and supplies. As they travel, they usually camp out or sleep on the couches of kind friends. They are making a positive difference in the world and living out a dream - and that makes them happy - which is priceless.
Say what you will about tree huggers - I say their hugs are warm, real and last a long time! Personally I'd much rather hug a tree than a building. And I really want my grandchildren and all the generations beyond them to enjoy the shade of a giant tree as they soak in the fresh air of the great outdoors. As I left the party that evening, I thought about my father and all the times he took us in the wilderness and talked of the importance of respecting nature. It really is the small things we do, like planting, that nourish our soul.
Check out the Plant A Wish donation link and documentary trailer below: http://www.plantawish.org/donate
Erin Smith invited me to attend the Throwdowns CD release party at Maui Arts and Cultural Center last Friday. I called my friend, Cynthia Clark, and we headed to town to join the fun. We arrived at 5:30pm, thinking we were attending a brief gathering of fans and a short sampling of their new tunes. To our delight, we were pleasantly surprised with a full evening of a fantastic live concert featuring three acts in an intimate setting at the MACC's Yokouchi Pavilion. As we entered the event, we were each handed a Throwdowns "Legs of Our Own" CD and escorted to the paparazzi-like photo area where a photographer captured the attendees' cheesy poses for various websites.
The concert started with a lovely young blonde singer, Lily Meola, who was accompanied by her keyboard player. I was surprised to hear such a powerful voice come out of such a tiny thing! I would say her style was sort of folk/rock as she effortlessly swooned popular cover songs as well as a few sweet originals. At some points her voice sounded so amazingly angelic it gave me goose bumps! I had never heard of Lily before, but I am familiar with her brother, Matt, the young up and coming Maui big wave surfer. I'm sure Mom is very proud of all her accomplished kids! I will definitely keep my ears out for Lily as I think she has tremendous talent and will be singing on stages for many years to come!
Next up was Kimie, a beautiful rocker girl from the Big Island. Her full sound was soothing and inspiring. As she played her guitar, her voice filled the air with rock and reggae vibrations that magnified the female power that seemed to be the theme of the night. There were also some goose bump moments during Kimie's performance as the sun set behind the backdrop of the West Maui Mountains. Kimie, as well as Lily, performed a tribute cover to Amy Winehouse. Both ladies did an awesome job of channeling Amy's soulful pipes causing me to choke up a bit. A touching nod to such a tragically short-lived star.
As the sky turned indigo and the crowd filled the dance floor in front of the stage, a Hawaiian couple performed a powerful hula and fire dance. It was a super opening to Erin Smith and the Throwdowns, who began their performance with kick ass rock and roll songs from their new CD "Legs of our Own". The crowd immediately began dancing as the Throwdowns threw down some pumping music. Erin was in full form as she belted out some great new songs. The red haired beauty really knows how to electrify a stage! Marty Dread joined Erin on stage for an awesome performance of "Stay High", a killer song which he contributed to their new CD. The Throwdowns played some favorites from their last CD as well such as "Kihei Town" and did not disappoint their fans.
All in all the evening was a blast. Lots of great people showed up for the fun and all three female singers were extremely impressive. At the end of the night, everyone seemed to be filled with positive vibes and their sweet tooth for delicious music was satisfied. Many thanks to Cynthia Clark for bringing her camera and snapping some nice shots for this blog. I am proud to see all the great music coming out of Hawaii these days - especially from the ladies. Bring it on girls! We love it!!!
I am shooting "goddess photos" for women. I am inviting women of all ages to have themselves photographed as they emulate a goddess or alter ego. If you hire me to shoot you, I will consult with you in advance to decide on an image of yourself you would like to create in the setting and styling of your choice. I prefer to shoot outdoors in natural light and will take you to beautiful locations that we choose together. Perhaps you would like to see yourself as aphrodite in a bamboo forest, a greek goddess in the clouds, a wood nymph in a waterfall, a spy, or a mermaid. Rates start at $150 per hour and go up depending on makeup, hair, styling, props and location. I am in the process of shooting new photos for my advertisements, so have been having fun shooting some friends. Check out some of my latest photos. Feel free to contact me for portrait session information at: alliwaters808@gmail.com.
