For quality gifts boasting big island personality, you need to stop by The Taro Patch House at Banana Patch Studio. Set in the Kong Lung Market Center, this quaint North Shore Kauai boutique promises to win you over with locally-made gifts of all kinds. Their exquisite wares stretch from end to end of the shop, easily keeping you busy browsing for over an hour. They’re always getting new items, too, so you can come back again and again without ever growing bored.
Every time you visit The Taro Patch House, you can count on the shop staff throwing a hearty aloha your way and welcoming you in with open arms. Their witty banter always feels like a treat, especially if you love to meet new people and walk away with newfound friends. Once you break away to explore all the Hawaii-centric goods, take extra time to fully admire each handcrafted item. The sheer number of details put into each piece shows how much care the artisans have for their craft.
As you find items you absolutely must take home, put them in your basket or bring them up to the front counter. Either way, you’ll want to keep browsing to ensure that you see it all. Some patrons even go for a second lap around The Taro Patch House store just in case they might have missed something. Once you’re ready to check out, go back up to the front counter with all your selections. Since many of the items in the shop are rather breakable, the staff take great care in wrapping up each piece for the trip home.
The top products at The Taro Patch House include:
Fresh-Cut Flower Bouquets
Whether you want to get a memorable gift for your host or dress up your hotel room, you cannot go wrong with the Fresh-Cut Flower Bouquets. Want to go big? Choose their rustic vases filled with seasonal flowers. If you prefer a minimalist style, their bud vases are always a hit.
Handmade Palm Frond Baskets
The Handmade Palm Frond Baskets from The Taro Patch House have a unique island aesthetic that looks great in any space. To create these popular gifts, artisans collect, prepare, and weave the palm fronds to create baskets in small and large sizes. Then, they use even more frond pieces to create cute flower bud accents for the rim.
Tutu Nene and Baby
While exploring the Kauai landscapes, you’ll often encounter gorgeous Hawaiian geese and their goslings, leaving you wanting to take one home with you. Thankfully, you can do just that by treating yourself to a Tutu Nene and Baby. Available in red and black, these adorable stuffed animals are just as cute as their namesakes and look great with a palm frond wreath around their necks.
Custom Tiles
For a true one-of-a-kind gift, you need to set your sights on the Custom Tiles at The Taro Patch House. These tiles come straight from the attached pottery studio where they’re formed, decorated, glazed, and fired. Each one is different from the next, allowing you to create your perfect scene using a variety of handmade tiles.
If you want to try your hand at making unique gifts all your own, book your spot at the Banana Patch Studio artistic workshops. During their classes, you can learn how to make pottery, stained glass, and so much more. Since spots tend to fill up fast, watch their Instagram pages for workshop announcements and reserve your place as soon as you can.
Insider Tips:
-The air conditioning works well at The Taro Patch House, so don’t hesitate to come by on hot days. In fact, it’s like an icy cool oasis on the hottest days, especially if you stop by the shave ice stand near the fish market after your visit.
-They almost always have more than enough parking right out in front of the shop. If the lot is full, you can usually park over at the Kilauea Neighborhood Center instead.