I just got back from Hawaii last night (whew, a bumpy plane ride!) I had a great time in Oahu and Kauai, and the highlight of my trip was getting to spend some time at the KoAloha Ukulele Factory. I got a chance to talk story with Alvin "Papa KoAloha" Okami for almost an hour, and he performed some songs off his new CD ("Just Uke and Me") for us. He also explained the meaning behind the song "Softly," and while I loved it before, it has even more meaning now. Before we left, he grabbed some DVDs of the KoAloha Story, as well as two of his CDs (which he autographed) for us. I can't say enough about what a wonderful man he is. Not only is he a creative genuis -- who else could have thought up the wonders of the Pineapple Sunday, Sceptre and Jukulele, but he is also a warm and caring person, who took time out of his busy day to chat with two ladies from California. Poor Mom, she has now been dragged to the ukulele factory tours of Kanile'a, Kamaka and KoAloha. For her sake, I better not end up buying a Ko'olau.
To get to Kohou street from Waikiki, we took the #42 bus, and then walked a couple of blocks. I've now taken the bus to all three of the factories, and while Kamaka's is the easiest to get to, KoAloha's was simpler than Kanile'a (of course, if I had gotten off at the right bus stop for Kanile'a maybe it wouldn't have been so bad).
Here is a photo of me outside the KoAloha logo sign...
After posing under the sign, I took another picture standing outside their door. Unlike Kamaka, which is a pretty nondescript building, the KoAloha factory has adorable ukuleles and a sign outside letting you know that you are in ukulele heaven.
After posing for my photos (with Po'okela, my trusty KoAloha Pineapple Sunday), we rang the buzzer and waited to be let inside. We had made reservations with Brian for the tour that morning at 9am, and I was excited to get to make the keychains I had heard so much about...
Turns out we didn't get to do that, but we were privy to something far greater - a personal concert from Papa KoAloha. I also got a chance to see the very first KoAloha, the miniature that Mr. Okami created on advice from Ohta-san.
I also noticed how adorable the waiting room at KoAloha is...with everything from glass etched KoAloha designs to painted portraits of Alvin and Pat, aka Papa and Mama KoAloha.
I'd also love to have a plant like this, with KoAloha ukuleles growing on it...
After our concert, Brian took us on a tour of the factory, and we got a chance to see him discuss bookmatching of tops with Paul, using some beautiful koa wood for demonstration.
We were also shown the unique brace used by KoAloha, which not only supports the weight of their workers, but also ensures the quality and volume of sound in the instrument.
We also got to see some of the new Masterpiece collection tenor Sceptres that Papa was currently working on...oh, to have a tenor Sceptre. He said that all of them were already spoken for, and that he anticipated being done working on them in about a week, then it would be on to make more jukuleles.
I also got a chance to see the new bridge design for the Pineapple Sunday. As it has been reported elsewhere, KoAloha decided to return to the debossed style of design, rather than the etched tops. And this new spiky bridge design is also an improvement over the straight bridge style. As most of you know, I went through four of the Pineapple Sundays before I ended up with my current one -- I was searching for a spiky bridge design on an embossed top, and I ended up losing hundreds of dollars in the pursuit. I hate to admit it, but I really prefer the spiky bridge design to the one on my model, but at this point, I think I would end up divorced against my will if I bought another Pineapple Sunday so I'll just have to be content with the one I have. Luckily for me, it sounds and looks great. So even though I will lust after the new style, I'll stick with the one I have. For now, hehehe...
Finally, when we went back into the showroom, Brian brought out a Jukulele to show everyone, as it is the latest of Papa KoAloha's Masterpiece Collection. It is amazing the level of detail in these ukuleles. The "American" version actually has 50 stars etched into the top, one for each state of the union. And the "Hawaiian" model is stunning visually as well.
I thanked Paul for helping to set up the tour for us, and I thanked him for all of his help and kind words on email. I also told him I appreciated him being on Ukulele Underground, as an inside connection to KoAloha for those of us who are big fans. I asked if I could pose for a picture with him and my ukulele, and unfortunately, Mom cut off the ukulele, but this is the two of us at the end of the tour.
And finally, my favorite photo from the day. This is of Mom, Alvin Okami, my Pineapple Sunday and I in front of a wall of beautiful KoAloha ukuleles. I can't thank the folks at KoAloha enough for taking the time out of their busy schedules to walk us through their factory and talk story with us. My Pineapple Sunday is a treasure to me, in large part due to the heart and soul of the Okami family. Mahalo nui loa to everyone at KoAloha Ukulele, especially Alvin Okami.
