My husband and I just returned from a cruise to Hawaii. Before I left, I asked if anyone had any favorite fabric shops that they could recommend. You guys gave me lots of tips. The one I decided to find was Wholesale Hawaiian Fabric in Honolulu. Armed with a printout from the computer and a hand-drawn map, I dragged my DH into a taxi. The taxidriver wasn't quite sure where the place was, but the map helped him out! We set off from the pier where the ship was docked, drove past Waikiki Beach, continued through the downtown....meter now reads $10, $15, $20...I'm really getting worried! Finally, we turn into a residential area, travel a few blocks, and there it is! A fairly small cement block place, with an "OPEN" sign. The taxi driver asks me if he should wait. Fearfully, I ask him if that's an additional cost. He says he'll stop the meter and wait 15 minutes! Now, who can shop in 15 minutes???? I run in the place...it wasn't too big. I could tell that most of their business is done on the internet. I tell the owner/operator that I'm from a cruise ship and a have a taxi (and my DH) waiting! He was very helpful as I think I was the first person from one of the cruise ships to find him. He helped me pick out fabrics while he cut, gave me a gross (yes, 144) of Aloha Shirt buttons, and about a yard of extra fabric to make up for my taxi ride!
When everything was cut and paid for, I ran outside. The taxi drive had eaten his lunch and had a cigarette. We hopped back in the cab and off we went back to the ship. I was so hyped up from the "rush", I was shaking! End of story...taxi fare + tip...$42.00, but I got some great Hawaiian prints and batiks. His prices were wonderful... most cotton prints were $3.95/yard. The owner said that he can fit 10 to 12 yards of fabric into one of the USPS $4.00 envelopes....a lot more reasonable than a taxi fare!! If anyone is interested, his web address is
PS. Anyone need any buttons?