Well, not really a hangover. But we’re finding hard to get back into the mainland swing ‘o things after a 2 week vacation on the Big Island. We expect it’ll take a few weeks to fully recover. =)

There actually were quite a few thrift and antique stores that we visited on our trip in Hawaii. I know – why in the world would we bring “work” along on our island paradise vacation? Well, we were just interested to see the differences between thrift stores over there and over here in Los Angeles.

One thing we definitely noticed is the lack of furniture. We asked a few shop owners about this and they all noted that furniture is grabbed up extremely quickly. We’re not even talking antiques, midcentury or nice looking vintage furniture. We’re talking Walmart / Ikea style furniture. I think it’s partially because people are feeling the economic pinch there (as everywhere), so they’re looking for furniture in thrifts instead of buying new items. However – larger items like furniture are costly in Hawaii, and it’s impossible to ship from the mainland. So the stock is limited to local population donations, resulting in a definite shortage.

Anyhow, we weren’t looking for furniture. We were looking for a few “smalls” that would fit in the suitcase. The overall quality of vintage items in the stores was much better than I expected. One thing to note is that due to the humidity, clothes and fabric are often a bit damp or musty smelling. Also, expect more tarnish than usual on metal items. Also also – don’t expect to find tons of older designer midcentury items, other than Hawaiiana style pieces.

These two bird candle holders or ramekins by Dansk International were the most interesting finds of the trip.

I knew from the “GC” marking that they were Gunnar Cyren designs. However, I haven’t been able to find out too much else about it. They were used as candleholders – the wax residue is still inside. The “pattern” on them is a well-known one called “Bayberry“. I know that there are other Gunnar Cyren “bird” pieces out there that are similar, including a vase and a gravy boat. But I haven’t seen any of them with the “Bayberry” pattern.

I guess we’re not surprised that we didn’t find too much at the Hawaii thrifts. It wasn’t the focus of our vacation. But it was interesting to check them out nevertheless. And if we ever return, we’ll be sure to visit them again.