Shopping Hilo and Kona (Waimea, Kurtistown: sales, how much, house)

[JoDan]

What are the main shopping areas in Hilo and Kona? Interested in the locations of grocery stores and merchants like WalMart. Planning to be on the Big Island for two months and will be buying recreational equipment for my visit and since I'll not be bringing it back to the mainland not looking for the best quality. Know of any second hand type stores for bikes, fishing gear?

[rebelryng]

I know Hilo has Walmart for sure. Kona has many of the big box stores you see on the mainland. Not sure about second hand stuffs though

[twixbar]

hilo has walmart and kona has home depot, and costco

[KoaKine]

Hilo has Home Depot also . Both have Macyʻs Hilo even has running water. for the best deal try Craigs list for the second hand stuff

[AlohaHuey]

How much does the Costco have in terms of furniture, beds, couches, etc? I plan to see for myself the next visit to Kona but it would be nice to hear some perspective from folks who have been shopping there for awhile. Mahalo.

[hotzcatz]

You can buy fishing gear at Walmart I suppose, but they bring it in from the mainland and sometimes it isn't exactly the best choice for fishing around here. Try Tokunaga's S. Tokunaga Store, Hilo, Hawaii - fishing, diving, archery, darts in Hilo for some great gear which is exactly suited for fishing around here. You'll catch more fish if you have the right gear. They also have some tips on line and hook sizes on their website. They also have paddleboards and other gear, too. Tokunaga's is also an authentic experience, it's a third generation family run fishing store in Hilo since the 20's, I think it was.

For another interesting fishing store, there is J. Hara's in Kurtistown. They are still building their website, but their store is easy to find in Kurtistown. It's at the other end of the same building the post office is in. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside they have loads of fishing gear as well as general merchandise. They might be a little less expensive, although I've not really compared prices since usually with fishing gear I'm looking for specific things and not necessarily the cheapest stuff. I think the last quest was stainless steel double hooks without any solder between them for building lures with. Before that is was glow in the dark powder for lure making, too, I think. The quest before that was for the "perfect" fishing pole which I found at Dino's but I don't think Dino's is there anymore.

A smaller but tasty on a hot day fishing store is Itsu's in Hilo. They have some fishing supplies as well as totally ono ice shave. There's also other snacks like rainbow popcorn, hotdogs and some interesting combinations of things, too.

[hotzcatz]

Costco has some beds and furniture and stuff, although they don't seem to stock the same stuff consistently. There are loads of furniture places in Kona. We like "Teak & Bamboo" which is in the same general area as Costco. When buying furniture for the Big Island, always select solid wood furniture. The pressed wood stuff turns into oatmeal real easily. Probably not as fast on the Kona side as it does in Hilo, but will you always be living in the Kona district for the lifespan of the furniture?

[AlohaHuey]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

Costco has some beds and furniture and stuff, although they don't seem to stock the same stuff consistently. There are loads of furniture places in Kona. We like "Teak & Bamboo" which is in the same general area as Costco. When buying furniture for the Big Island, always select solid wood furniture. The pressed wood stuff turns into oatmeal real easily. Probably not as fast on the Kona side as it does in Hilo, but will you always be living in the Kona district for the lifespan of the furniture?

Thanks hotzkatz. We will probably live in Kona, though we may migrate toward Waimea as we age! We are moving from the mainland as soon as the house sells. We are not bringing any furniture with us and have eliminated the particle board IKEA stuff as well...my research told me it turns to mush in no time! It costs so much to move furniture and it won't fit a tropical house anyway. So we're probably going to do Costco, Teak & Bamboo (thanks for the suggestion) and Craigslist in some combination to furnish the house after we arrive. On our trip to buy a house, we'll make a point at stopping by Costso and Teak & Bamboo to get an idea of that they have and what it will cost us. Mahalo for the input and suggestions!

[hotzcatz]

There are loads of things available at yard sales (which happen year round) and on Craig's List, too. Lots of folks are constantly moving to and from the mainland and it's generally too expensive to ship basic household stuff.

Oh, back to the OP - geographically speaking, the main shopping areas of Hilo and Kona aren't all that big. But then, neither town is all that big either. Hilo has most of the larger boring big box stores out along the highway. Start at the airport, turn left as you exit the airport road and most of your strip malls are along that road for the next several miles. If you go out of the airport and turn right, then turn left at the next stoplight (where Ken's House of Pancakes is) you'll go along bayfront to the Hilo Downtown area of shopping. Much more interesting stores over along that way as well as the Hilo Farmer's Market. More scenic, too.

Kona side, there's the shopping in the industrial area which is where Costco's is. Then there is the new shopping area halfway between the industrial area and Kona downtown which is sort of a new strip mall sort of place. Then the touristy downtown area along the bayfront.

Oh, when shopping on an island, when you see something you want, get it right away since it may not be there when you go back and they may not bring it in anymore.

[JoDan]

Originally Posted by KoaKine

Hilo has Home Depot also . Both have Macyʻs Hilo even has running water. for the best deal try Craigs list for the second hand stuff

Does Hilo have "hot" running water?