KAPA‘A — The owner of a newly inspired chain of retail businesses has chosen the Garden Isle to introduce his flagship store.
Emma Spencer Style, a Balinese-style home furnishings and accessories store in Kapa‘a, is offering original pieces and reproductions hand selected by the store’s manager-buyer, Loreen Lynch, during her travels though Asia.
“All of our furniture comes from Indonesia, and it’s all hand picked,” Lynch said. “When I travel, I go to different areas in Indonesia, I visit different rural villages and collect. I try to collect one-of-a-kind pieces that are unique.”
All furniture is made from recycled wood, she said.
“We don’t buy new wood, only aged wood, so everything is reused teak,” Lynch said. “They’re making furniture now from recycled old boats, so we’re carrying that, as well.”
Lynch opened the doors of Emma Spencer Style on Feb. 27, then immediately closed the store when March storms hit the island. After eight days of torrential rains, Emma Spencer Style reopened for business and has since attracted local residents and tourists.
“People have been coming in and saying, ‘What good taste you have,’ which is always nice,” she said.
The store’s owner, Edward Staak of Chicago, who named the family-owned store after his daughter, intends to open a second location in Kailua, O‘ahu, on July 1 before branching out to the Mainland, Lynch said.
“He’s always had an interest in this type of furniture with a tropical flavor,” Lynch said, adding that Staak approached her about opening a store while she was living on O‘ahu.
“He’s branding this as a series of stores,” she said. “We run the store like a close, family-knit business.”
Lynch said there will be a grand opening soon. Emma Spencer Style is located at 4-1489 Kuhio Highway. Call 822-9922 for information.
