Find Curated Hawaiʻi Goods at This Hilo Shop
Hana Hou Hilo, originally established as a Hawaiiana antiques and collectibles store, has transformed itself into a modern-day curator of locally made goods.
Hana Hou Hilo bustles with energy. Once an antiques and collectibles store focused on Hawaiiana and Oceania art and accessories, the boutique in sleepy Hilo town now sells an assortment of locally made goods, curated jewelry and apparel, as well as zero-waste, sustainably made products. And it all started with a wahine (woman) and her love for vintage apparel.
“I loved collecting from the ’30s, ’40s and from the early 1900s,” says Michele Zane-Faridi, the original owner and founder of Hana Hou Hilo on the corner of Kalākaua Street and Kamehameha Avenue. After finding an appreciation for the quality and styles of yesteryear—she says she used to wear ’40s attire and vintage mu‘umu‘u to high school in the 1950s—Zane-Faridi began amassing a collection of vintage clothing, fabrics, prints and collectibles. “I was very fortunate that when people were throwing away a lot of their grandma’s things or their mom’s things … they would say, ‘Oh, no one’s going to wear this, this is too old stuff.”
Michele Zane-Faridi is a master lau hala weaver, and started Hana Hou Hilo in 1993.
Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
After selling her finds to individuals and businesses around town—there were no high speed online marketplaces yet—Zane-Faridi’s entrepreneurial spirit led her to open Hana Hou Hilo in 1993. Originally selling goodies and treasures she’d gathered over decades, the ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i used in the name of the store—hana hou, to do again—perfectly encapsulated the mission of the business, which was to give these treasures a second life. From Ni‘ihau shell lei to vintage mu‘umu‘u, Zane-Faridi had it all, and for fans of vintage Hawaiiana, Hana Hou Hilo was a paradise in paradise.
It’s not just the products that were sold at Hana Hou Hilo that were given a second chance, however. The store itself experienced a bit of a revival when Zane-Faridi’s daughter, Shadi Faridi, stepped in to help run the store. “I grew up in the store,” says Faridi. “It was like my A-plus program growing up. But in my adult life, I came back to it and wanted to kind of reinvent Hana Hou Hilo and revamp it into the more modern kind of thing that it is now.” Faridi, who had been running her own store that focused on sustainably made products, decided with her mom to merge the two concepts into an entirely new and thriving storefront.
While change is sometimes scary and unwelcome, Hana Hou Hilo’s second era serves as a gentle reminder that a rising tide lifts all boats. Now the store carries a diverse stock of made-in-Hawai‘i goods, from Hilo-made dish soap to Mālie Organics skin care products, handcarved pīkake bead necklaces and kalo (taro) print keiki (kids) rompers. And everything is carefully curated by Faridi, who emphasizes displays of locally made, zero-waste sustainable products.
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“I think it’s valuable. I think that finding something that your neighbor has made—it’s like eating local but with actual tangible goods,” says Faridi. “And I think that it’s the most valuable thing you can do on a day-to-day basis. It’s making direct change on a local economical level that also affects your environment.” Of course, Faridi’s mom’s antiques and collectibles are also interspersed throughout the store, and Zane-Faridi even uses some of the fabrics and patterns she’s collected over the years to make one-of-a-kind pieces of apparel for limited release.
Of course, you can’t talk about Hana Hou Hilo without also mentioning the store’s world-class selection of lau hala hats and goods. (Lau hala is a traditional Hawaiian method of weaving using the leaves of the hala tree.) Expertly crafted lau hala goods are hard to come by due to the effort and experience it takes to make them. Fortunately, Zane-Faridi is an expert lau hala weaver: She’s pursued the craft for nearly 40 years, having been taught by many of the great weavers of her time. Now, she’s become part of the next generation of kumu (teachers), with a handful of students under her wing.
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For many, lau hala hats crafted by Zane-Faridi become family heirlooms. They go for a couple of hundred dollars to a couple of thousand each. “It’s such an important and integral part of our culture, the Hawaiian culture,” says Zane-Faridi. “For me, being able to bring an awareness and appreciation to this art form, and to help it continue, it’s such a wonderful privilege that has been passed down to me by my kumu, my teachers. And for me to share that knowledge, it’s truly a gift.”
As the name implies, business for Hana Hou Hilo is like an endless encore. Mother and daughter continue to operate the store in tandem, though Faridi is taking over more responsibilities as her mother continues to learn, teach and grow as a master lau hala weaver. “Since my daughter’s in charge now, she’s seeing where it’s going, and I’m very happy with her input and success,” says Zane-Faridi. “And it’s nice because those old mom and pop things don’t exist so often nowadays because most of the kids, they have other things they wanna do. But I’m very proud that she wants to carry on the torch, and so I’m really happy to see where she’s going to take it.”
To learn more about Hana Hou Hilo and pick something up for yourself, visit hanahouhilo.com. 160 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo, (808) 935-4555. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
This story was originally published in the Fall 2023 issue of HAWAIʻI Magazine. Get a copy here.
