Fisher Hawaii

This ugly unassuming warehouse is the home to my new favorite store!  I can't believe it took me so long to discover it.  I lived here YEARS before even hearing about it, and when someone did mention it they failed to really tell me about it and months went by before I bothered to stop in.  What a mistake!  I want to save my Oahu readers from that same sadness so I am going to SHOUT about what a great place this is!!  If you're not on Oahu, keep reading anyway.  This will be part trip down memory lane, part self revelation and who knows what else.  Here goes:

I was intrigued with the store from the moment I stepped in it, but I truly fell in love when I came across the pens.  Boxes and boxes of pens in every color and style AND they're not all packaged in plastic.  You can pick one up and take it for a test drive on the nearest scrap of paper - just like the olden days.

Ah yes, the olden days.  As a kid, my favorite store was probably Modern Stationary.  If the internet can be trusted it's still making young children smile on the island of Saipan.  (Well the nerdy organized ones anyway.)  I remember their boxes of pens, their notepads, their Tripp Trapps -- no wait, that's a high chair...what were they called...Trapper Keepers, that's it!  Remember Trapper Keeper binders?  Do they still have those?  Ah yes, I LOVED going to Modern Stationary for back to school shopping.  I've always had a thing for office supplies for some reason.  When other kids were playing house, I was playing office.

So back to Fisher Hawaii.  It looks almost as warehouse-like on the inside as it does on the outside and has long aisles filled with office supplies and every other random thing you could imagine.  I truly mean every other random thing.  Gift bags, lots of office furniture, cleaning supplies, tools, backpacks, children's workbooks, arts & craft supplies, shell leis - you name it, they probably have it.

I went in to get a couple binders and came out with: two binders, a set of binder tab dividers, a portable 3-hole punch, stickers, (and here's where it starts getting more random) smiley face magnets, (and even more) a kitchen sponge, two children's outdoor folding chairs, and a package of 100 wooden chopsticks.  Tell me, where else could you find all of those things under one roof besides in a mall?  Oh, and every item has its own individual price tag!  Mind boggling really.

Side note: If your child is an escape artist, be warned that their shopping carts don't have any means for buckling your child in.  I had to keep a hand around my girl's ankle while I shopped.

The store is filled with employees in blue shirts so it's easy to find someone to ask for help/directions as you navigate the place.  That said, some of the employees are better at their job than others.  One young man told me he thought they were out of printer paper.  Out?!  A little searching and I found an ENTIRE AISLE of printer paper - every color and thickness you could hope for.  So although an employee will be easy to find, it may be a little harder to find a competent one.  Keep asking!

Their selection is pretty impressive and not for the indecisive.  Looking for some wire for your next project?  What color would you like?  Want a paint brush?  What size and style?  Watercolor paper?  Bound or not?  What size?

Shopping is much more fun at this store than at any big box office supply store.  Sure, some of the merchandise might be a bit dusty, but shopping here is an adventure.  Fun times, great selection and good prices too!  Parenthood has come between me and my office-supply-loving, organized self, but I have hope that with enough trips to Fisher Hawaii I'll be able to find a pen when I need one and something besides the back of an envelope to write on.

Do it yourself:

•  Here's their webpage.  It even includes a directory so you know what aisle to find certain items on.

• They have two locations, I've only been to the one on Cooke Street.

• Parking is in a lot next to the store.  It's often full but if you wait a few minutes a spot will usually open up.  There's also metered street parking.

• Check out your Midweek for sale fliers from the store.

Disclaimer:  I have no affiliation with Fisher Hawaii, in spite of the fact that Fisher used to be my last name.  I just love me a good office supply store and had to share.