MEDIA RELEASE

Mahina, Maui’s ‘affordable chic boutique,’ is coming to Queen’s Marketplace in Waikoloa, opening its doors Monday, Nov. 25.

“The name is very powerful and also very feminine,” said Joe Wilmot co-owner of the Mahina boutique with partner Jody Curtin. “It is the name of the Hawaiian moon goddess and also the word for moon.”

With two Oahu shops and two more on the Valley Isle, the popular clothing store has been voted “Maui’s Best” for the last six years in a row.

Wilmot and Curtin met in Los Angeles about eight years ago, and were talking about opening a business together on Maui when the space next door to Curtin’s jewelry shop, Lotus Moon, became available.

“We basically went to the beach with a note pad and a pen and started to brainstorm,” Wilmot said. “We asked ourselves ‘what does this island need?’”

At the time, Maui had numerous outlets for cheaper clothing, and options in the more expensive price ranges; there was aloha wear catering to the visitor market, but not much for local women.

“So we said, ‘OK—a clothing store,’” Wilmot said. “One month later we opened—and we had just met eight months earlier!”

With the goal to create the feel of a high-end boutique, with really beautiful clothing that was not out of reach price-wise, Wilmot and Curtin found a winning combination.

“We see Mahina as something in the middle of the market, with dresses in the $29-49 range,” Wilmot said. “And we don’t buy a lot of merchandise. That is to say, we buy just enough for a week or so because the following week we’re out buying the freshest styles we can find. Jody shops the showrooms in person, so Mahina has something new every single week.”

The colorful boutique specializes in fashion-forward sundresses, wearable tops and “subtle-yet-striking” accessories, in a welcoming environment for women who love to shop.

“We hire the friendliest people we can find. That’s the Mahina vibe,” Wilmot said.

Kamaaina discounts for persons showing a Hawaii ID.

— Find out more:
www.shopmahina.com
www.QueensMarketPlace.net