Need to set up house on Maui, any recommendations for where to shop for home furnishings? (Honolulu: sales)

[Kat13]

Hello,

We are setting up house (condo) on Maui and need suggestions on where to shop for furniture on a budget.

I have read a few threads that alot of the mainland chains (Target, Kohls etc) are not here, we are also looking for basics such as linens, kitchen items etc., so any suggestions on that front would be appreciated.

Mahalo

[mdand3boys]

Start with asking your new neighbors, the condo association management, etc.

[hotzcatz]

Garage and yard sales. There are always folks moving back to the mainland and either selling or giving stuff away. Figure about ten cents on the dollar for most yard sale stuff. Just go to the corner of your street on Saturday morning and look for signs with arrows. Most of them aren't listed in the newspaper or anywhere, just boxes with arrows or a sign on a post. Craig's List and FreeCycle are good online sources of stuff.

If you must pay retail, then there is Ross' although I'm not certain Maui has Ross's available, but the other islands do so Maui probably does, too.

Yeah, asking the neighbors will probably get a lot of good stuff, too. We occasionally set up folks with "stuff" since we get so much good stuff at yard sales and we then have too much. Houses in Hawaii are much smaller than their mainland counterparts so when new stuff comes in, usually old stuff must go out.

[hothulamaui]

we have several furniture stores, yes we do have ross as well
"reasonably priced" stores: BJ furniture the largest, best variety. sofas and more, first impressions, affordalbe furniture, litz
more expensive: latitudes, mooore's and minds eye

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by Kat13

We are setting up house (condo) on Maui and need suggestions on where to shop for furniture on a budget.

In Hawai'i:

If you buy new, in general you will pay more than on the mainland.

If you buy used, in general you will pay less than on the mainland.

Take your time, go to garage sales and thrift stores, you can buy anything.

[Kat13]

Thanks All, will definitely ask the neighbors, check out BJ Furniture and Craigslist/yard sales. We did check out a few places in Lahaina but costs were way more than wanted to spend. Also found a consignment shop that had some small items. We don't need to furnish til May, any thoughts on costs on having furniture shipped from the mainland?

Also, any good places to get mattresses? Costco?

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by Kat13

We don't need to furnish til May, any thoughts on costs on having furniture shipped from the mainland?

Look for chain stores that have locations on Maui, online shopping and free "ship to store" feature. You get a greatly expanded selection that way, save a lot over shipping it direct to your address, even if you have to pay for local delivery once it arrives, because your order rides along in the containers with that store's regular stocking order. On very large items you might get hit with a bump for Hawai'i stores, but for most items, no. I've ordered that way from Sears, Home Depot, Costco, WalMart. The only downside is that it takes maybe 3 weeks to a month and a half. But you get a much better selection that way.

Also, if you happen to be traveling through Honolulu, you might consider scheduling time for a shopping trip to discount stores on Oahu. The cost to ship furniture inter island is a lot less than from the mainland, and if you happen to catch something you like that was direct shipped from Asia, rather than going through mainland distribution, you can save a lot. Here on the Big Island, for instance, there are a number of places selling bamboo, teak, rattan and wicker furniture that is direct shipped from Indonesia, China, etc. and you can find some very good buys that way.

But the best buys are still the Moving Sales. There are so many people moving back to the mainland all the time that you really have an amazing selection at phenomenal prices. I had some lead time myself when I first arrived, so I rented a small storage unit to put my yard sale and thrift shop "finds" in until I was ready to move in.

[Kat13]

Thanks OpenD. Good advice, I will look into those options!

[Koale]

Originally Posted by Kat13

Hello,

We are setting up house (condo) on Maui and need suggestions on where to shop for furniture on a budget.

I have read a few threads that alot of the mainland chains (Target, Kohls etc) are not here, we are also looking for basics such as linens, kitchen items etc., so any suggestions on that front would be appreciated.

Mahalo

Aloha,
Your best and probably quickest bet will be Craigs List. You can find entire condo set-ups or individual pieces. You'ld be surprised what folks don't want or need.
K