Mad Props to The Hawaiian Ukulele Company!!!
This will be my third time trying to post the answer. Way too many browser crashes for me to find the time to post and be prompt as well.
Anyway, the answer is: The Hawaiian Ukulele Company, located in Downtown Honolulu, in The Aloha Tower Mall.
They've been around since the early 1990's, starting with a kiosk at The Aloha Tower Mall. When Calvin Nelson first went around to the uke makers to pitch his idea of an ukulele-only music shop, they all thought he was crazy to try. Well, as you can see, the kiosk found enough success to re-open in one of the boutique shops in the mall.
While I was working on the Matson containership, the S.S. Kauai, I visited the shop a number of times, as I was in search of a KoAloha tenor uke. I originally planned on visiting KoAloha for a factory tour and buying direct. Unfortunately, my ship only arrived on the weekend, when KoAloha was closed. In the end, Paul Okami agreed to meet me at the 40th Annual Ukulele Festival of Hawaii, so I could “test drive” two different sounding tenors (a Luciano Pavarotti or a Placido Domingo?).
I really don't photograph well, do I?
Before that occurred, I happened to make a small purchase of some items at The HUC. Just before I left, Mamiko Nelson, Calvin’s wife, handed me one of their business cards. When I saw the logo, I recalled that it looked surprisingly similar to the one that sits in the case of my standard-size KoAloha uke. I bought that ten years ago from a kiosk at Ala Moana Mall. So I asked her if HUC used to have a kiosk at Ala Moana. Surprise of surprises: I’m a returned customer!!!
In the end, Mamiko proved to be a very kind and generous person. Mad props to her and HUC! You see, my standard uke was in need of a string height adjustment, and, because I was only in Honolulu on the weekends when KoAloha was closed, I was looking at having to mail it from home. So I asked Mamiko if she could deliver it for me for the fix. No problem! She was more than willing to help me out. As a matter of fact, she is good friends with the Okamis. Sweet!
Well, the story doesn’t quite end there. Remember that tenor uke? I worked out an agreement with Paul that I would buy my tenor through HUC. Why not support KoAloha’s dealers while supporting KoAloha? Besides, Mamiko was more than willing to hand-deliver the very first uke I owned. So, in the very end of the story, here are both of my KoAloha ukes—having arrived at The Hawaiian Ukulele Company at the same time.
Here's Mamiko with my two ukes. She's not only one of the nicest and sweetest people I've met, she's also a former concert pianist. She does know music.
So, if you're visiting Honolulu, you would be doing yourself a favor to pay The Hawaiian Ukulele Company a visit. They carry not only KoAlohas, Kamakas, and other koa ukes, but they also have other affordable quality ones as well. And tell Mamiko that "Sailor Dave" sent you.
Thanks for playing!
--Dave E.
