A visit to this Makawao jewel can add a dash of L.A. fashion to your closet. “Everything is wearable for Maui.”At 9 a.m. on a Thursday morning, Desiree Martinez is cradling a cup of coffee at Casanova in Makawao. She’s wearing blue jeans trimmed at the knee, a cream tank top with a crimson beaded neckline, and strappy red sandals with just a bit of heel. Her dark wavy hair is a perfect complement to her silver hoop earrings. She looks fabulous.
Martinez would blend in perfectly with the hip L.A. crowd on Melrose Avenue—but the amazing thing is, she looks just right for Maui. “I’ve got slippers in my bag to dress it down later,” she says.
“Later” means after she shuts up shop for the night at Pink by Nature, her Makawao boutique. Tucked into Baldwin Avenue’s rustic storefronts, the contemporary clothing and accessories shop has been drawing regular customers since it opened in February 2004.
But despite steady business, it has remained something of a well-kept secret on Maui. Martinez has been so busy doing the “merchandising, packing, receiving, shipping, displaying, shopping and everything else,” she hasn’t had much time to promote her business. But now it’s time to open the doors a little wider. “The store is ready,” Martinez says. “We just need for more people to know about it.”
That’s where store manager Heather Guard comes in. Aside from assisting Martinez with day-to-day operations, Guard has been helping Martinez revamp the Web site, www.pinkbynature.com, to better serve off-island clients, who make up a sizable portion of clientele. “We have clients who have moved to the Mainland, but they call and ask us to send them stuff,” Guard says. “We get new shipments weekly, sometimes daily, so we plan to keep the Web site updated with all our new stuff. A lot of people will make a special trip to the store when they’re on the island to see what we have.”
And what they have is everything from designer shoes to beaded purses; baby blankets to toddlers’ clothes; locally hand-crafted earrings to eclectic shell mobiles; cowboy hats to “loungewear”; cocktail shakers to linen photo albums.
And of course, women’s fashion fresh from the streets of L.A.—“where everything is happening in the fashion world.” Martinez visits the city several times a year to select merchandise for the store. “I go out of my way to get things that no one else on the island will have. I wanted to create that diversity here, to give people more options.”
Fashion has always been part of life for Martinez, who says she learned everything she knows from her mom. Growing up in Northern California, she was “always decorating, organizing, visually arranging, pulling things together to be esthetic and pleasing.”
Now having lived on Maui for 10 years, Martinez has perfected that special blend of Maui style with L.A. freshness. “I have Maui in mind when I’m buying, when I’m picking out the color schemes. Everything is wearable for Maui.” To make it even more attractive for locals, Pink by Nature offers a 10 percent discount with Hawai‘i ID.
“It’s such beautiful stuff in here,” said Beverly Messmann as she picked out a pair of Dollhouse shoes. Messmann regularly makes the trip from Kihei to Makawao to see what’s new at Pink by Nature. “Everything is original; you really can’t find it anywhere else on the island.”
With a name like Pink by Nature, don’t be surprised to find an all-female clientele. The wicker chairs on the front porch are usually occupied by shop-weary males observing the Makawao bustle, while inside, their female companions try on dresses in flowery dressing rooms fit for a princess.
“The store has a very feminine feel,” Martinez says. “Everything is hand-picked and really contemporary. It’s fun and different, but interchangeable and timeless, so it won’t be out of style by next month. All the shirts can be worn with jeans; the dresses can be worn with slippers or high heels, depending on what look you want to create and how you accessorize.”
“You can tone it down or funk it up,” Guard says. “Plus, everything in the store feels good on; it’s flowy and comfortable. We’re all about washable, natural cotton. Who has time to dryclean?”
As far as prices go, it may not be bargain-basement, but it’s also far from L.A. sticker-shock. Even with just $20 in your pocket, you can still walk out with a pair of slippers or a parasol. Of course, if you’re looking for more high-end items like designer dresses or Dolce Vita leather boots, you’ll find even greater options.
But not to worry, Martinez says—you can add a dash of fashion to your closet without buying a whole new wardrobe. “Almost every piece in the store can be mixed with something you already have in your closet,” she says. “If you have jeans, we have a great top. If you have a dress, we have amazing shoes. It’s really about looking great, but feeling comfortable.”
Pink by Nature is located at 3663 Baldwin Ave., and is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. through 5 p.m. For more information, call 572-9576 or e-mail pinkbynature@msn.com.