EVERETT — There aren’t any flights from Everett to Hawaii, but a trip to a gift store here could be the next best thing.
The Colors of Hawaii Gifts & Treasures, where you’ll find muumuus, bowls made of coconut shells and ahi tuna jerky, has found a new home in Everett.
Undaunted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Owner Cyndi Pa reopened the store in November after she lost her lease at a prior Snohomish County location.
“We were in Lake Stevens for eight years,” Pa said. “The building we were in was sold.”
The search for a new storefront spanned Snohomish County. “I looked everywhere — Monroe, Snohomish, Lynnwood — I settled on this place,” at 1832 Broadway, Pa said. “God wanted me in Everett!”
Pa, who grew up in Hawaii, is happy to lead you on a tour of the tiny new store.
Don’t let its size fool you — it may be 400 square-feet, but it’s chockablock full of Hawaiian and South Pacific-style food, clothing and housewares.
If you can’t go to a sunny, sandy beach, you can dress the part.
Pa sells Hawaiian shirts, cotton dresses and flip-flops in adult and children’s sizes.
If you prefer to sew your own muumuu, the store carries Hawaiian textiles, from cotton fabrics in orange, fuchsia and green prints to black and tan tapestries made from pounded bark.
The Colors of Hawaii gift store is small but is full of Hawaiian and South Pacific-style food, clothing and housewares. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Even Pa is occasionally surprised by what’s on the shelves.
“Oh, I forgot I had that,” she said, gesturing to an oversized snow globe (not Hawaiian but definitely Christmas-y).
For such a tiny corner, the grocery section packs a punch.
There you’ll find lychee, coconut and mango-flavored iced teas and sodas, dried pineapple and plum snacks, and chocolate macadamia treats.
For the main course, she carries Portuguese sausage, local salmon and canned Spam and corned beef, a staple of Hawaiian cuisine.
Store clerk Barb HenryKahawai recommends a loaf of guava bread, great for making french toast.
“It’s soooo good,” said HenryKahawai.
Pa moved into the new space a few weeks ago and already is turning heads.
“This is my new favorite store!” shouted customer Susan Devera, when she realized a reporter from The Daily Herald was visiting.
Devera spotted the Colors of Hawaii from a parking lot across the street when it opened. Now she pops in whenever she can.
“This adds joy to the neighborhood — it’s like sunshine,” Devera said.
You can buy figurines wearing grass skirts or actual grass skirts at The Colors of Hawaii gift store in Everett. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
While the pandemic has temporarily ended Pa’s buying trips to the islands — “this is the first year I haven’t gone to Hawaii” — she still manages to replenish the shelves.
Armed with smartphones, family members in Hawaii conduct virtual shopping trips to the wholesale outlets, while Pa points out the items she wants for the store.
On a recent afternoon, new customer Veronica Ellsworth took home Kauai island-grown coffee and candy for the kids.
“We normally go to a Hawaiian store in Seattle,” Ellsworth said. “Now we can stop here.”
Stuck indoors and want to practice your hula moves? Pa sells grass skirts for children and adults.
Yearning to play the ukulele? She sells those, too. They’re in the glass case by the checkout stand.
To brighten up rainy days, there are batik and flower-print umbrellas.
“There’s lots of goodies here — you just have to look,” Pa said.
Janice Podsada; jpodsada@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3097; Twitter: JanicePods
Colors of Hawaii
1832 Broadway, Everett
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 pm.
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