Chinatown shop adds local flair to soaps

I’m always one for supporting the Chinatown businesses just a couple of blocks from where I live, and shop owner Missy Owens has cleverly branded one of her products with “Nuuanu & Pauahi,” the intersection at which the store is located. The 2.75-ounce soaps are handmade by Sweet Petula of Seattle with moisturizing African shea tree nut oil and have the refreshing scent of aloe leaf and mint. “It’s a great unisex scent,” Owens says, and I agree; it’s not cloying at all. The soaps retail for $5 at Owens & Co. (1152 Nuuanu Ave., 531-4300, owensandcompany.com) and next door at The Human Imagination (1154 Nuuanu Ave., 538-8898, in4mants.com), which also sells its own N&P T-shirts.

— Gary Chun

Ono food offers change of pace

The busyness of life or plain sloth has many of us too often eating flavorless two-scoop meals from foam clamshells or soggy oblong sandwiches. Not to disparage the state’s plate-lunch tradition or global fast-food fare, but there’s better stuff out there. You’ll find it on the border between Waikiki and Kapahulu at Diamond Head Market & Grill (3158 Monsarrat Ave., 732-0077, www.diamondheadmarket.com). The market’s chilled chests are filled with single servings of ready-to-heat gourmet entrees, such as chicken jambalaya, linguine with bolognese, grilled miso salmon with sides, hearty soups and, my favorite, a voluptuous beef stroganoff. Rounding out the menu are an array of salads, from rich bacon-potato to light, bright grilled corn and greens, and desserts like the market’s signature torte. Prices parallel Zip Pacs and super-size victuals, but the market’s gourmet food is way, way, way mo’ ono.

— Cynthia Oi

Find inspiring prints and more at SoHa

The home and lifestyle accessories store SoHa Living (591-9777) at Kahala Mall has become an art gallery of sorts since stocking screen prints from Sugarboo Designs. Writing is an art whether in novel, lyric or poetry form, but Rebecca and Rick Puig of Georgia take it to another level, using words as visual art.

The fonts are their brushstrokes on canvas, tin, concrete or weathered wood. I recently coveted a 36-by-36-inch antiqued sign that crafted “All You Need Is Love, Love Is All You Need” on stretched canvas. Hung on a wall, it would be a shot of inspiration and philosophy for dwellers who would, consciously or not, take it in daily. At $300 someone scooped it up, but there’s always special-order or tracking it down online. A regularly stocked item at sohaliving.com has another Beatles verse inscribed in saloon style on weathered board: “Life is very short & there’s no time for fussing & fighting my friend.”

— Ruby Mata-Viti

Greeting cards pop with bold yet simple designs

While I’m not an assiduous online shopper, I did happen upon a unique set of cards that rewarded me for my efforts. Perhaps it was the proper alignment of geomantic influences that propelled me to the site. Long fascinated with the principles of feng shui, I was excited to discover these contemporary and colorful greeting cards at www.6persimmons.net. Graphic designer Tamara Tom Gilliam uses bold colors and simple compositions to complement the clean lines and architectural crispness of the seven designs, which are based on separate aspects of feng shui to bring good fortune to the recipient. Cards are sold individually for $3.99, or buy a “Lucky 7” pack for $26.25.

— Suling Len, Aina Haina

Pacifier wipes double as all-purpose cleaners

Even though my kids are long past pacifier age, I still love these pacifier wipes from Arm & Hammer. They’re great for wiping off messy hands and faces without having to worry about harsh chemicals. And if a water bottle or fork ends up on the ground, I can wipe it down without concern over the alcohol content that has tainted use of antibacterial hand gels. A package of 36 wipes is $4.34 at Walmart.

— Donica Kaneshiro