Monday, April 25, 2022

Wailuku, Hawaii and the story of a table runner that I couldn't resist!


Wow!! Hello there! I am embarrassed to say its been more than a year since my last post. It is something, I hope to rectify. I will strive to be more regular with my posts. 

It is funny how a simple thing like a table runner inspired me to return to blogging :) There is a small story about how this runner came home with me. I love shopping local when I am on vacation. Somehow, the busy souvenir shops and the high end retailers near fancy resorts hold very little appeal for me. I have nothing against them but I enjoy the small local stores and farmers/flea markets way more. 

We were recently on a trip to Maui. This was our second trip back there and I had made a list of some of the towns that I wanted to visit. I had read an article about Wailuku at the base of the West Maui mountains. Often overlooked by tourists, Wailuku is slowly emerging as a cultural and culinary town and is going through an interesting revival. We were in fact told by one of the shopkeepers that she was impressed by the fact that we made it there and that we were truly off the beaten track :)


We browsed a few shops and one of them had some art work but was also selling fresh flowers. A lady came by to pick up the most dazzling display of fresh flowers. We got chatting and she told us to walk with her to see her store. We went along and entered a delightful looking gallery. The gallery was impressive and she introduced us to her husband who was the artist. Christine‘s husband Philip Sabado was born and raised on the tiny island of Molokai. He studied art in California and years later moved back to Hawaii. He now has a studio in Wailuku. It was a delight chatting with the couple. The artwork in the gallery was amazing !! Christine mentioned how during the pandemic she decided to use his artwork to create textiles and especially table linen. I was intrigued. Lately, I have become obsessed with the taro plant after seeing it in a local shop in the Seattle area. Their giant green leaves have stolen my heart. I am waiting impatiently for my local nursery store to get some taro plants. While it is going to be a challenge to grow it in the Pacific Northwest weather, I am certainly going to give it a go :) It was truly love at first sight when I glanced upon this runner with the taro leaves. 


I bought the runner and l love seeing it on my table back home. Shopping for me is all about the experience and about meeting and interacting with locals. I will never forget how a random exchange at another store led us to this gallery. A memorable conversation combined with meeting the artist made this shopping experience truly one of a kind!!


I do hope you enjoyed this story of how this runner came into my life :-) Do stop by Sabado Art Hawaii. if you are ever in Maui, you will not regret it. Our conversation with the artist and his wife was as engaging as the art itself. Interacting with them, one felt how liberating it must be to truly follow your passion and make a career of it!

I am sure a lot of you have interesting stories that go with something you bought. I would love for you to share your story with me :-) Drop me a comment and let me know.


Thank you for your patience and for coming back to My Dream Canvas :)






Images: Copyright My Dream Canvas



2 comments:

Sneha said...

Wow such a interesting story about a table runner. Amazing and well written.

Unknown said...

What a lovely story. It was so inspiring. Loved reading it. Please keep posting more stories.

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