As Seen in Kaka'ako Vert Magazine

By Hawaiian South Shore — a surf shop at 320 Ward Avenue, Honolulu, since 1996.

What Did Kaka'ako Vert Actually Say About Us?

The piece, headlined "Surf's Up!," opens by pointing out how long we've been here. "It's been nearly three decades, and Hawaiian South Shore (320 Ward Ave. No. 112) is still going strong," the article reads. "The surf shop has been a staple in the neighborhood since 1996, offering high-quality products, expert advice from staff members and caring customer service with a smile."

That's not us describing ourselves. That's an independent magazine's own read on the shop, and it happens to match what we'd tell you ourselves. That's exactly why we wanted to share it.

Where Did Those Cover Photos Come From?

That collage on the cover isn't stock photography or a designed composite — it's a photo of our own ceiling. For roughly 25 to 30 years, we've pinned up customer photos in the shop: people picking up a new board, trying on a wetsuit, just stopping by. Brandon Miyagi photographed that wall for the piece, mismatched eras and all, which is why some shots look like disposable-camera prints next to newer digital ones.

It's not a stock photo of some other shop's customers. It's ours.

Why Did an Independent Magazine Reach Out to Us?

Kaka'ako Vert's contributing editor, Nicole Monton, emailed us in March 2024 asking to run the story for their upcoming summer issue. We didn't buy an ad or pitch ourselves. She'd already decided we were worth covering, and asked for a few quotes and some photos of the shop.

Photographer Brandon Miyagi came down and shot the store, the boards, and our team on the floor. Those photos ended up on the cover.

What Makes Us a "Specialty Surf Boutique"?

The magazine asked what sets us apart, and Sean Steelman, our manager at the time and a decade into the job, gave them the honest answer.

The piece names some of what that looks like in practice: our made-in-Japan smooth-skin front-zip wetsuit, Firewire surfboards, Thunderbolt tech boards from pro surfers Harley Ingleby and CJ Nelson, and gear from Florence Marine X and Vissla. It also points out we're the top dealer in the state for FCS and Futures, the two biggest fin-box systems in surfing, and that our team runs regular, recorded training sessions with brand reps so staff can speak to the details of every product on the wall, not just the popular ones.

One update worth flagging directly: since this article ran, Firewire and Thunderbolt have split into separate companies. We wrote up what that actually means for board availability if you want the details.

What About the Rental Program They Mentioned?

The article also flagged something a lot of customers don't realize we offer: a two-fold rental program. Anyone getting back into surfing after time off can rent a board daily or weekly with no commitment to buy. Separately, if you're deciding between boards before a purchase, up to two days of rental fees go toward the board you're trying, as long as you buy it within 30 days.

What Hasn't Changed Since the Article Ran?

The approach the magazine described is the same approach we built the shop on, not a one-time posture for a photoshoot. The specialty curation, the staff training process, and the rental program are how we've run things for years, well before this feature and since. If a specific brand or program detail has changed since 2024, ask us when you stop by. We'd rather tell you straight than have you find out from an old article.

Where Can You Read the Rest of Our Story?

This feature only covers where we are today, not how we got here. If you want the longer version, including how a hardware store in postwar Okinawa eventually led to a surf boutique on Ward Avenue, we've told that story on our Founder's Story.

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