As one of Oahu’s first smalltime boutiques, Cottage By the Sea continues to follow its original intent from humbled beginnings – to bring together the best DIYers in jewelry, fashion and home decor.
Cottage By The Sea at the Honolulu Night Market.
It’s nice to see that they haven’t fallen victim to mainstream. Instead, the boutique puts a twist on current trends; thereby, creating handmade trinkets and treasures found only in the Cottage. With more and more DIYers nowadays, however, you will likely see similar styles elsewhere.
The shop at Ward Warehouse does a great job in making customers feel like they’ve stepped into a beachfront cottage. While there may not be an ocean view, the weathered wood and vintage-style furniture and fixtures give the shop a cozy oceanside feel. You can’t miss the store, either. Look for the small, white picket fence outside of its display window.
Back to the furniture, though. That’s actually what started getting customers through the doors back when Cottage opened a decade ago. Flea market and estate sale finds came and went, becoming one of the boutique’s main attractions. Customers wanted to give their homes a quaint, cottage feel. However, when the store is fully-stocked, I feel like it gets a little too cluttered and discourages customers from sorting through the organized mess. Perhaps a larger space would be a plausible solution.
Right now, I am totally in love with my ocean-inspired 14K gold rings. I actually picked them up at the Honolulu Night Market, where the boutique had a small area in the back corner of the bizarre. I like that although an older boutique, Cottage is still getting involved with the “up-and-comings” of the local beauty, fashion and decor industry.
COTTAGE BY THE SEA
• Ward Warehouse, 1050 Ala Moana Blvd, Ste 1110, Honolulu, HI 96814 • 808-591-9811 • www.cottagehawaii.com
