Pearl Butik (Boutique) in Paia





Coral hearts in distressed wooden frames.



Update (long overdue): Pearl Butik is located on 71 Baldwin Avenue, Paia, and moved there a couple of years ago from an older location on the edge of town.

Original post:
Pearl was such an intriguing boutique, located on the outskirts of Paia, past the Paia Fire Station, that I just felt I had to write something about it. Also, I'm still recovering from last night's Farmer's Union Meeting in Pukalani.  Vincent Mina, who I really respect as a farmer, shared a radically interesting "surprise guest" and the meeting turned out to be a bit controversial.  Hmmm.... Plus, I haven't had a chance to upload any of the videos, much less even watch them and trim off bumpy beginnings or endings.

The Pearl business card actually spells boutique as "butik" and when I tried to find this store on google and Facebook a couple of months ago, came up with a lot of Pearl Butiks who live in various parts of the country. So, I could not find the Pearl Butik of Paia. 

Update: I just heard back from the owner last night, and they do have a new site: http://www.pearlbutik.com/ and will be featured in November's issue of Coastal Living. Pretty cool! (Update 5/4/15: Pearl Butik has a Facebook page called Pearl Paia.)

This particular retail location has had a few different makeovers... it was a Swedish design store back in 2004. At some point, an architect and interior designer moved from Baldwin Avenue to this location.  Then it was empty for a long time until owner Malia stepped in and made it into this very lovingly decorated store. 

This is the kind of place where if I had the budget, I would decorate my Maui jungalow in this style. Sigh.  Pearl Butik also reminds me of the now defunct Rambutan, which used to be located in the old Paia Train Station.  I also got to tease Malia since she is also from Oahu, from the townie suburb of Hawaii Kai, often dubbed "Haole Kai" since many Caucasians or haoles live there.

Since I did not have that kind of budget, I treated myself to a small blue handmade glass cup and enjoyed looking around. Yes, there are other stores that are lovely too... all over Maui, and lovely home furnishings stores in the heart of Makawao and Paia. 

I just happen to like this store, and want to give it some attention since it's on the fringes of Paia far from foot traffic. It's not the easiest location for a store, and it felt like an oasis on the day that I stopped by.

Moroccan lanterns in Paia. Maybe Indigo carries them too. I think Haiku Style might have a couple too.

Love and Joy coral, on display with porcelain.



Exotic pillows, with ethnic designs.



Chandelier in the center of the store.

Center table display with locally grown water lilies.

Pearl Butik also offers several styles of natural fiber bed linens and table cloths, with designer names that I don't recognize, but someone wandering in from Wailea probably would.  Even though Pearl could be hoity-toity, all the coral hearts and words make it more Paia-esque, and there are plenty of items that don't require a Wailea bank account.

Malia pointed out that the handmade bedding is sourced to support small, independent artisans. While some of it is imported, it doesn't take advantage of sweat shop labor, unlike many big chain stores of the world.  So don't feel guilty about splurging.

Updated Info (as of 5/4/15):
New location: 71 Baldwin Avenue, Paia
Hours: 10-6 pm
Phone: 808-579-8899
Website: Pearl Butik (online shopping available)
Facebook page: PearlPaia