Two Japanee Bruddahs' Hawai'i Holiday Gift Guide 2003
Nichi Bei Times - November 15, 2003
The official holiday shopping season is only weeks away, which means that many of us will be visiting online stores to buy gifts. Before you start clicking 'buy' buttons and maxing out your credit cards, the Two Japanee Bruddahs would like to share with you some Hawai'i businesses selling products online that would make great holiday gifts.
Many, if not all, of the Hawai'i retailers mentioned will be included in an upcoming online campaign to encourage kama'aina expats and others to spend some of their holiday shopping dollars with Hawai'i businesses.
The campaign, sponsored by the Hawai'i Chamber of Commerce of Northern California (www.hccnc.com) and Global Pau Hana (www.globalpauhana.org), not only promotes the availability of these Hawai'i products, but emphasizes that our dollars spent with kama'aina businesses contributes to our home state's economy.
(Da oddah good ting is you no need boddah yo' family and friends back home fo' buy da kine stuff and mail um to you, yah?)
If you would like more information on the campaign, visit www.BuyHawaii.org and sign up for the mailing list to receive updates.
e808.com (www.e808.com): Bruddah Davin Kazama's e808.com sell sum supah nice aloha shirts, as well as other clothing, aloha print seat covers, music, books and videos. Bruddah Keet wen buy sum stuff from dem and wen arrive fas' kine.
BidBridge (www.bidbridge.com): Co-founded by Kirt Kobashigawa, BidBridge.com is like eBay for Hawaiian products. Not only can you bid for good kine stuff, but you can sell too. Check out da Hawaiian print duffle bag.
Kona Premium Coffee Company (www.konapremium.com): All kine Kona coffee stay hea. You can even buy Kona green coffee, roast um yourself at home and den grine um. (And das "grine" as in grind and not "grine" as in kau kau.)
East Coast Tropics (www.eastcoasttropics.com): Smell good li'dat wit soaps and other body essentials from this family-run business. Check out da gift sets in lauhala baskets.
'Ohana Magazine (www.ohanamagazine.com): Give a gift subscription to this great publication, put together by kama'aina Mel Ozeki and his staff in Los Wages.
TropicalPros.com (www.tropicalpros.com): Bruddah Mike Inouye from da Big Island stay sell all kine lei and flowers on his website. Can get cigar lei, tuberose, dendrobium and more. Good ting get pictures wit da names. Sometimes hard fo' remember which kine is which.
Ornaments to Remember (www.ornaments2remember.com): Not really one place for buy holiday gifts, but fo' buy da kine Christmas tree ornaments. We guess das' pretty obvious kine, eh? Get some choice aloha shirt ornaments on da site.
Isle Nine Specialty Food (www.islefood.com): Created by Bruddah Keet's college pal, Dr. Marlon Rimando, dis online store is one of da few places where you can buy alaea sea salt - perfect fo' poke! Get sauces, jellies, chocolate and coffee too.
Big Island Candies (www.bigislandcandies.com): Almost everyone coming back from one trip to Hilo get shortbread cookies, chocolate or sometin' else from dem. Now you no need go Big Island fo' get um, jus' shop online.
AlohaGoodies.com (www.alohagoodies.com): Jus' like da name says, you can get all kine treats, snacks and gifts. Dey even get zori and da Hawai'i Drivers Manual fo' sale. Buy da book and learn why Hawai'i drivers always go 55 in da fast lane. Nah, joke.
Ohana Pottery (www.ohanapottery.com): Len Gambla, of beautiful Lana'i, is one perfect example of how you sell on the Internet from almost anywhere! Da site stay almost pau, but soon you'll be able to order such things as one beautiful sake set.
GuavaJo's (www.patsislanddelights.com): Joanne Chang stay sell her GuavaJo's Original Poke Sauce on Pat's Island Delights' website. Da cute kine label on da bottle only makes da sauce dat much bettah.
The Lei Man (www.therealleiman.com): Dis guy used to be one bartender and part-time Hawai'i resident. Now he sell lei online fo' shipping to almost everywhere!
One mo' ting: Try go visit www.twojapaneebruddahs.com and find our wot Bruddahs Keet and Kyle wen ask Santa for Christmas and which one of us stay naughty and nice. Happy holiday shopping!
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Kama'aina expats Keith Kamisugi and Kyle Tatsumoto are the Two Japanese Bruddahs. Their column appears monthly in the Nichi Bei Times and online at www.twojapaneebruddahs.com. You can also email them at wot@twojapaneebruddahs.com.
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Classy
tank dress available through
e808.com (above); alaea sea salt from
IsleFood.com (below); and double
dendrobium lei from TropicalPros.com
(bottom).
