Check out that tree!
Aloha from Maui!
I've been spending the last few days in a whirlwind project with the always charming Aunty Ululani of Ululani's Hawaiian Shave Ice. I'm here to help her and her husband open up a retail area on the site of their second Lahaina shave ice shop. While the second location is practically within shouting distance of the first (should you be shouting), it's a lot more laid back, has a place to sit at tables and relax, and will soon include this project I speak - an area of which to purchase Ululani merchandise and even learn a thing or two about the history of shave ice in the islands.
Sleepy Lahaina Afternoon
Maui has a number of fun challenges, one being that you can't just go to the nearest Michael's Crafts or IKEA and get what you need for a budget minded project. It does have its small share of Craigslist finds and a few hole in the wall used/consignment places which I've been a little successful with. The real plus is that the hole-in-the-wall used furniture places are usually next to a hole-in-the-wall bakery which serves up such local delectables as chocolate haupia cake, cornflake macadamia nut cookies, or okinawan haupia sweet potato pie. I have yet to get up to Makawao's Komodo Bakery, but if I can fit it in to the schedule, you know I'll be on the plane juggling pastry boxes on top of my swellng pregnant belly (oh yeah, did I mention that ever? yes. I am hapai).
The second plus is that there are all these "Hawaiian" related products such as Home Depot carrying bamboo 8'x4' sheets in the style of woven lauhala and Walmart's extensive Hawaiiana goods including a variety of lauhala shades for cheap.
Aunty Ulu, see what I mean about the charm?
Oh, the third plus is that I'm in beautiful Maui. And my commute is along side a warn blue ocean filled with turtles and whales. Yeah, that's pretty nice too.
Meanwhile, here is a before shot:
The small room has to doubly function as a working area as well since the front door to it is the only way for the shave ice shavers to get in and out with large carts of ice and syrup, employees running to the restroom, and such. The back of this small space also has to incude two chest freezers which I'm having Dino the builder put in a couple of half walls to hide. On top of it all, Uncle David wants a history of Shave Ice display somewhere to house factoids and photos and his vintage 35lb shave ice machine. After seven months of them wondering how to work this space, I was called in and within a weeks time, we hope to have it up and running. Yeah!
More pictures coming soon....