Get your Holiday Shopping Done at This New Boutique in Kāhala Mall

This Refinery has gifts for everyone on your list.

December 10, 2015

Brie Thalmann,

Photos: David Croxford

Opened just in the St. Nick of time for the holidays, cool new Kāhala gift boutique The Refinery is brimming with fun finds for everyone on your list. The impetus for the shop came from all the great gift items owners Jonelle and Reid Fujita encountered when hunting for merchandise for their other businesses. The husband-and-wife team also owns Island fashion institution Cinnamon Girl and boho-chic women’s boutique 33 Butterflies.

The Refinery’s feel is modern, somewhat industrial, thanks to a ceiling of exposed piping, cement floor and cool gray walls, but well-balanced with plenty of warm, rustic touches. A soft-white brick wall backs the register, and retro school lockers and filing carts double as shelving, adding hefty doses of charm.

The product mix is just as eclectic, ranging from the decorative (ceramic nesting bowls and glass lamps fitted with vintage-inspired bulbs) and the thoughtful (pretty floral greeting cards—a nod to the Hallmark store that previously occupied the space) to the playful and downright silly (cameras disguised as flasks and bacon-shaped bandages).

They didn’t forget the manly. “We have a lot of gifts for men,” says Reid. “We’re also planning on having things guys just want to buy for themselves.” The cheeky Duke Cannon line of men’s grooming products will be a staple, including the brand’s Big Ass Brick of Soap in studly scents such as menthol, and bergamot with black pepper. Gadget geeks will love the Airlighter, a charcoal lighter outfitted with a built-in air blower designed to get grills and campfires going in a flash.

Other neat features include the shop’s stock of locally made goodies which include everything from jewelry and T-shirts to gourmet treats, such as candies and honey. Be sure to keep an eye out for The Refinery’s wrapping station—anyone who has experienced the horror of wrestling with tissue paper, tape and scissors in the car en route to a party will understand how genius this is. “Since we’re selling gift wrap and cards, the station provides a place where you can write out the card and wrap the gift rather than trying to do it on the run,” says Jonelle.

The Refinery, 4211 Wai‘alae Ave., 479-0255