Maui Time Food & Drink

Best (Worst) Local Fashion Blunder, Winner
Crocs
Yes, I realize that Crocs are some of the most comfortable and functional shoes on the market and many people seem to think they're completely genius, but in my humble opinion those rubber slip-ons make feet look ridiculously big and frumpy. I'll admit that my own footwear is not always high fashion (I'll wear slippers pretty much anywhere outside of a courtroom) but it still cracks me up that people think their bright orange, clunky Crocs go with every outfit.

Best Bang For Your Buck EDIT PICK, Winner
Friends Of The Library
Address: PO Box 1017, Wailuku, HI 96793
Phone: 808-871-6563
Website: http://www.maui.net/~mfol/
Got a lot of time on your hands but just some measly change in your pocket? Welcome to Maui! Luckily for those of us that make chump change, Friends of the Library exists. This is a place that you can get a boatload of books for practically nothing. Seriously. The books are just 10, yes T-E-N cents. I've found everything from the latest Patricia Cornwell to a tattered-first edition Looking For Mr. Goodbar there. Not to mention, the people who volunteer there are classic characters and uber helpful. And yes, Friends of the Library could also double as The Best Place to unload all of your nerdy ex-boyfriend's Sci-Fi novels.

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Best Bookstore, Winner
Borders Books & Music
Address: 270 Dairy Rd., Ste. 190, Kahului, HI 96732
Phone: 808-877-6160
Website: http://www.borders.com
On an island like Maui you can't just waltz in from the Mainland with a big, fancy attitude and expect everyone to love you. It takes time to win over the Maui crowd, and Borders has definitely punched that clock. Besides the super-stocked Kahului store with a huge inventory of books and music there's several smaller satellite stores around the island that carry pretty much anything you need or can order it in for you, pronto. Plus there's the cool "rewards" card that gives a kama'aina discount to everyone.

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Best Bookstore, Runner up
Barnes & Noble
Address: 325 Keawe St., Ste. 101, Lahaina, HI 96761
Phone: 808-662-1300
Website: http://barnesandnoble.com

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Best Bookstore With Ambiance EDIT PICK, Winner
Old Lahaina Book Emporium
Address: 834 Front St., Lahaina, HI 96761
Phone: 808-661-1399
Website: http://oldlahainabookemporium.com
Sure, Borders and Barnes and Noble are great. I shop at both all the time, but sometimes a person needs more than just rows and rows of crisp covers and espresso. There are those days that call for conversation and a leisurely browse through hundreds of used, out of print or hard to find tomes. Don't get me wrong, there's tons of new books there too and she's got a great variety of Hawaiiana and random treats that will fill the literary hole in your black and aching artistic heart.

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Best Boutique, Winner
Mahina
Address: 23 Baldwin Ave., Paia, HI 96779
Phone: 808-579-9131
Website: http://www.mahinamaui.com
Located in Paia and Kihei, Mahina preaches to its shoppers "inexpensive, fashionable, high-quality clothing with fun, friendly salespeople." Making shopping easy for the customer, Mahina's employees discover and create new and exciting pieces to complete anyone's attire. The idea behind the boutique is finding different styles from diverse designers and bringing them all under one roof. Not to go unnoticed is the amazing jewelry to compliment the attire! Readers pointed their votes in the right direction, exemplifying the true Hawaiian moon goddess, which is what Mahina means, in case you didn't remember.

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Best Boutique, Runner up
TIE: Enchantress/Sisters & Co.
Address: 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr., # B8, Wailea, HI 96753
Phone: 808-891-6360
Website: http://www.mauienchantress.com

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Best Boutique, Runner up
TIE: Sisters & Co./Enchantress
Address: 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr., Unit A-35, Wailea, HI 96753
Phone: 808-874-0003
Fax: 808-874-0004
Website: http://www.sistersandco.com

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Best Graveyard EDIT PICK, Winner
Paia
This graveyard scores well in the three main criteria for good graveyards: It’s in a good location, right on the edge of Paia Town; it sports a really good view of the ocean; and it has that wonderful old graveyard look. Every time I drive by I see family members inside visiting their dearly departed (photo-hungry tourists, too). And why not? If there’s a graveyard on Maui that just screams picnic lunch on a Saturday afternoon, this is it.

Best Hair Stylist, Winner
Wendy Pogni (Maui Hair Salon & Spa Soleil Luna)
Address: 242 Lahainaluna Rd., Lahaina, HI 96761
Phone: 808-662-0203
Website: http://soleillunasalon.com
Co-owner of Maui Hair Salon and Spa Soleil Luna Wendy Pogni has been voted at best hair stylist of 2008! With over 17 years of experience in the hair industry and Vidal Sassoon expertise, she will start with an "in the chair consultation" to pick out the perfect hair design that will look good on you. Many women will be happy to know that if they don't currently have a trustworthy hair stylist they can always venture to Lahaina and experience the ultimate haircut that won't leave them feeling lost. Wendy Pogni is the lady to see when trying to find that new, perfect, hot look. 242 Lahainaluna Rd., Lahaina, 662-0203.

Best Hair Stylist, Runner up
Zena, Beauty Bar

Best Hardware Store, Winner
Ace Hardware
Address: 334 Alamaha St., Kahului, HI 96732
Phone: 808-877-3931
Website: http://www.acehardware.com
I'm assuming this means every Ace Hardware on the island? There are a few of them you know. I don't have to tell you this, because you already know, but since I'm required to inform the general public on Best Of Maui winners, here it is: Ace Hardware, though much smaller than Lowes or Home Depot, is a GIANT when it comes to customer service. They really are the "helpful hardware store" and that's no baloney. Located island-wide.

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Best Hardware Store, Runner up
The Home Depot
Address: 100 Pakaula St., Kahului, HI 96732
Phone: 808-893-7800
Website: http://www.homedepot.com

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Best Parking Lot To Learn To Drive A Stick EDIT PICK, Winner
Maui Mall on the DMV side
Granted, it would probably be best if we had all learned to drive a stick in a large cow pasture Upcountry. That way damage to property and the humiliation factor would be kept to a minimum. But during the weekends and after nine at night, this parking lot is pretty dead because no one in their right mind wants to be anywhere near the DMV unless they are required to be. Of course, you might want to call someone and figure out what the legalities are, but we've never been told to go home. Plus, you can lick your wounds over a Frostey at Wendy's next door when you've had enough or your transmission falls out. Whichever comes first.

Best Place To Buy Children's Benadryl EDIT PICK, Winner
Paradise Pharmacy
Address: 81 Makawao Ave., # 21, Makawao, HI 96768
Phone: 808-572-1266
My family has been stopping by Paradise Pharmacy in Pukalani for years and I'm not blowing hot air up your rear by saying that it's the absolute bomb-diggity. The Pharmacy of all pharmacies. As an admitted hypochondriac it's always nice to have pharmacists that are willing to answer every little stupid question that I have without snickering. The women who work the counter are always SUPER nice and helpful. Not to mention they have a great toy section that perks the rug rats up when they feel junky. Which, although a bummer on the bank account, is a good thing.

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Best Place To Feel Like You're In L.A. EDIT PICK, Winner
Epitome Boutique
Address: 2435 Ka‘anapali Pkwy., Ste. D8, Lahaina, HI 96761
Phone: 8808-661-6270
Website: http://www.shopepitome.com
I live in Lahaina, so I tend to do most of my clothes shopping in the small boutiques along Front Street. Unfortunately, this means it won't be long before I see someone else sporting the cute new Roxy tank top I just bought. This is not so at trendy Epitome. It feels like I'm on Rodeo Drive when I step into that place and see all the designer jeans, cute dresses and funky, unique tops. And while a lot of the stuff is out of my price range, the big sale rack always has cute clothes at very affordable prices. Plus the ultra-helpful staff always remembers me, which makes me feel like a celebrity.

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Best Place To Get A Musical Instrument...Cheap! EDIT PICK, Winner
Kama‘aina Loan
Address: 46 N. Market St., Wailuku, HI 96793
Phone: 808-242-5555
Website: http://www.kamaainaloan.com
A buddy of mine swears he found a perfectly good, remarkable sounding Squier Bullet that should have cost something like $400 for just $140. In fact, he was so shocked that he immediately ran to the bank (delaying our lunch engagement by at least 10 minutes), withdrew the money and then ran back and bought it before, as he put it, "they realized how much it was worth." You couldn't believe how proud he was when he finally came to lunch and showed off… the receipt. "So where's the guitar?" I asked. "Back at the shop," he said. "I'll pick it up when we're done here." "You left it there?!" I asked. "Aren't you worried they'll realize what a steal it was?" His face suddenly drained of color, my pal ran out of the restaurant and retrieved his new possession.

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Best Record Store, Winner
Requests Music
Address: 10 N. Market St., Wailuku, HI 96793
Phone: 808-244-9315
Website: http://www.myspace.com/requests
Different people have different views about what makes a good record store. For some, it's all about selection and convenience (see our runner up). But for those who value that funky, scruffy, off-beat quality and would rather thumb through hard-to-find titles than run straight for the latest top 40 hit, Requests is the place. Located just across the street from our Maui Time offices, it boasts an eclectic collection of CDs and records, including an impressively large reggae section. And while they're winning for "record shop," you can also swing by for reasonably-priced used DVDs—ranging from new releases to old school blaxploitation flicks—plus books and t-shirts. If you haven't already, give them a spin.

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Best Record Store, Runner up
Borders Books & Music
Address: 270 Dairy Rd., Ste. 190, Kahului, HI 96732
Phone: 808-877-6160
Website: http://www.borders.com

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Best Second Hand Store, Winner
Elise! Clothing Company
Address: 310 Alamaha St., Unit 3, Kahului, HI 96732
Phone: 808-893-5473
Email: info@eliseclothingcompany.com
Website: http://www.eliseclothingcompany.com
I know you've seen the ads for Elise! They're the ones that always feature some hot naked chick. Yeah, you know the ones I'm talking about. Elise! is the type of second hand store that sells "pieces" instead of mere used clothing. Elise! takes the grunt work out of scouring rummage, garage and yard sales for that perfect outfit that screams "indie-fabulous." My favorite part of the store is at the back—Elise! always has some cuttingly clever word-tees (my not-so secret indulgence). Oh, the picture of the half dressed stud in one of the dressing rooms doesn't hurt either.

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Best Second Hand Store, Runner up
Rainbow Attic
Address: 1881 S. Kihei Rd., # B5, Kihei, HI 96753
Phone: 808-874-0884
Website: http://www.rainbowatticmaui.com

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Best Tattoo Shop, Winner
Pacific Rootz
Address: 847 S. Kihei Rd., # 102, Kihei, HI 96753
Phone: 808-891-1828
Thank God for Samson and Pacific Rootz, Kihei's oldest tattoo shop. Since I haven't been tatted there before I had to call and try to get some info about his shop without blowing the cover that he had just won best tattoo shop in all of Maui. From the sound of it, you readers are really onto something. For one, Pacific Rootz is quite possibly the only local/Hawaiian run tattoo parlor on the island (I'm sure you guys will correct me if I'm wrong). And they do all kinds of cool stuff from portraits to Pacific Island art. In fact, they do hand pricking and hand tapping too, but not for the Polynesian stuff because that's sacred and not for commercialism. I saw an unbelievably sick tattoo online of a Manta Ray and head piece that came out of Pacific Rootz and am pretty much going to take all of your advice and get my next tattoo done there.

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Best Tattoo Shop, Runner up
Island Ink Tattoo
Address: 100 Hana Hwy, Paia, HI 96779
Phone: 808-579-9461

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Best Weird Pet Event EDIT PICK, Winner
Maui Mall Pet Costume Contest
Halloween is a plain old good time, and there's no reason pets should be left out of all the fun. What guinea pig wouldn't want to get squeezed into a cute little lobster suit? I'm pretty sure that one was a winner a few years back. My kitty's going as a vampire this year since she's already got the whole "drawing blood" thing down to an art, and I'm going to use this opportunity to royally embarrass my dog and strap her into a cat suit.