After receiving a request from a friend to check around for scarves with Hawaiian print material and preferably with soft colors and soft material, I went on the hunt.  Hmm...looking online and in local stores it was a whopping $30-$60 for A (one) scarf. I needed to find a BUNCH of scarves or else material that one could hem to make scarves and get them to her asap lest she be unable to be 'stylin'".

Ah...one material section in a local department store sufficed for a few picks and then I remembered FABRIC MART in Aiea!  I planned to go this morning after setting a few appointments and I finally got out the door at 10:30am.

I walked in to Fabric Mart in Aiea an astounding array of materials! Plain ones, silk ones, rayon and cotton and every kind of material you could think of......and MORE!  I wanted soft Hawaiian Prints for my dear friend who needed many different prints and I sought the help of one of the store attendants.

The store attendant at Fabric Mart in Aiea knew exactly what I wanted when I explained what it was for. I picked out four prints and the store attendant called a young man to carry these big rolls of material to be cut.  It took just a few minutes with their expert shearing, folding and tagged with a price and I walked out pleased.....and knew my friend would be too.

For all you sewing artists out there....Fabric Mart IS THE PLACE to go in Hawaii!  Prices are very reasonable and the assistants (I think they're experts) in the store are helpful, quick and know their stuff!

Offering a large selection of Hawaiian (and other) print material ....at wholesale and discount prices! 

Oahu (Honolulu County)

98-023 Hekaha Street
Aiea, HI 96701-4992
(808) 488-8882

1631 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu, HI 96826
(Near Hawaii Convention Center)
Tel (808) 947-4466, Fax(808) 944-1116

45-681 Kamehameha Hwy., Kaneohe, HI 96744
Tel (808) 234-6604, Fax(808) 234-0644

Kahalui, Maui (Maui County)

55 Kaahumanu Ave.Suite D, Kahului HI 96732
Tel (808) 871-5770, Fax(808) 871-8910

Hilo, Hawaii  (Hawaii County)

710 Prince Kuhio Plaza
111 East Puainako St., Hilo HI 96720
Tel (808) 959-0088, Fax(808) 959-8151

Aiea (pronounce eye eh ah) Heights is the residential area following the ridgeline high above the town of Aiea. This is an old residential neighborhood

Keaiwa Heiau (an Ancient Hawaiian Temple) is located at the top of Aiea Heights Drive in the Keaiwa (pronounced Kay ah ee va and known as the temple of life) Heiau State Recreation Area.   It is believed to be built around the 1600's and where the 'Kahuna' (priest, minister) practiced the art of healing. The park also has 4 camp sites, recreation areas for picnics and breathtaking views from atop the mountain of Pearl Harbor in the distance below.  READ MORE HERE>> Keaiwa Heiau State Recreation Area - Aiea

Aiea Loop, Aiea Ridge, Kalauo hiking trails all start at the upper parking lot in Keaiwa Heiau State Recreational Area at the end of Aiea Heights Drive (above Aiea Heights residential area) Great Hiking!

 Singer and Actress Bette Midler was raised in Aiea too!

Aiea Heights  Single Family Home Market Report YTD 2009:  We currently have 13 Active Listings  for Aiea Heights residential area. There are 8 in contract and 8 sold.  Sold home prices ranged from $480,000 to $1,050,000. The Average Days on Market before getting into contract were 115. 

Other Points of Interest in the Aiea area: 

Pearlridge - Kam Swap Meet - Open Market  is a local style swap meet with all the souvenirs, all kinds of clothing, jewelry, arts, polynesian style crafts and such but also with the vegetables, fish, food, plants and some used stuff on the back rows.

Pearlridge (Shopping) Center is the largest INDOOR shopping mall on Oahu (Honolulu County) and located in Aiea and you can read more here>>> Monorail Rides, Murals & More at Pearlridge Center- Aiea- Hawaii

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Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman is a Realtor-Associate with Century 21 Liberty Homes in Mililani, Hawaii. With a sharp understanding that a listening ear is the key to a client's needs  she serves the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) and all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents. Website: www.hawaiihomesmarket.com

Keaiwa Heiau (an Ancient Hawaiian Temple) is located at the top of Aiea Heights Drive in the Keaiwa Heiau State Recreation Area. Upon entry into the State Park the Keaiwa Heiau is to the left and you will definitely do a double take at first glance. KEAIWA HEIAU is known as the temple with life. It is believed to be where the 'Kahuna' (priest, minister) practiced the art of healing. The gardens right by the temple were compounded and then given to the patient while praying.

It is unknown when this Heiau was built but one source says possibly around the 16th century. Measuring 100 by 160 feet the heiau also has an enclosure that was a halau (large thatched structure) built for the master kahuna (priest) to store the medicinal implements and to train and teach the students.

The Keaiwa Heiau State Recreation Area is a 384 acre park and there is the Aiea Loop (hiking) Trail that is 4.8 miles and begins and ends in the park.

In the late 1920's foresters replanted the area and the lemon eucalyptus trees give off a citrus frangrance in the mountainous air.

You'll also see Norfolk Island pines, the native koa and ohia trees.

Along the trail you may even see the remnants of a B-24 bomber that crashed in 1944.

The park also has 4 camp sites, recreation areas for picnics and breathtaking views from atop the mountain of Pearl Harbor in the distance below.

Directions:  End of 'Aiea Heights Drive, 'Aiea Heights, 'Aiea. Follow H-1 to Moanalua Highway (Hwy. 78). Take the 'Aiea cutoff to the third traffic light, make a right turn at 'Aiea Heights Drive and follow it about 3 miles up to the end of the road.

Hours:  April 1 to Labor Day: 7:00 am to 7:45 pm
After Labor Day to March 31: 7:00 am to 6:45 pm

Entrance Fees: None

Services/Facilities:  Restrooms, showers, camping area, picnic tables, trash cans, drinking water, payphone, hiking trail.

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Another 'Hawaii Points of Interest' provided by:

© 2008 Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman's Hawaii Real Estate and Relocation Blog. All rights reserved.

 Last week I took a small break and went to the Pearlridge Center. About a 10-15 minute drive from Waipio Gentry-Waikele it has everything and anything you could possible think of in their Uptown and Downtown Malls.

Picture to the left:  Pearlridge Center is the only mall with a monorail to transport customers from Uptown to Downtown malls.

Pearlridge (Shopping) Center is the largest INDOOR shopping mall on Oahu (Honolulu County) and located in Aiea

Both sides have plenty of parking (holidays are the exception) and I decided to park on the upper level. I entered the Downtown Mall of Pearlridge Center through Macy's (third floor) Home Section.

Of course I have my camera in hand! This is just for those times when there is gorgeous mural to take a shot of.

Picture to the left: This palm scene is on the roof in the middle of the escalator/elevator in the middle of Macy's. Surely a nice piece to look at on the ride down!

The indoor mall also attracts the early morning walkers. Those that like the indoor quality (when it's drizzling) and the smooth level surface floors for footing can enjoy the early morning hours to get their morning excercise. 

A couple of months ago we went to Hickam Federal Credit Union (Downtown mall) at the other end from Macy's and I was surprised to see just how many people were walking way before the stores opened.

Need to take a rest from your shopping spree?  There's plenty of areas to sit and take a load of your weary feet.

After walking around Pearlridge Center and shopping for a bit I really got an appetite.

Especially when I smelled wafting out into the mall from the Downtown Pearlridge Food Court.

With 23 fast food, 14 Restaurants and 19 Specialty Food places to choose from, you definitely won't have a problem finding a place to eat!

I chose Panda Express in the Downtown Pearlridge Mall. Fast, easy and no waiting.

Picture to the left: Yum! Fried rice, sesame sweet sour chicken and Roast Pork on my plate. I also asked for Crispy Gau Gee with Sweet Sour sauce. As usual, I know I won't eat it all (but like a variety) and the leftovers I took home for Gary's dinner :)

So, for all your shopping and dining needs, Pearlridge Center is the place to go for the Leeward, Central and North Shore areas on our island of Oahu in Honolulu County.

Address:  98-1005 Moanalua Rd # 231
              Aiea, HI 96701
 

Store Hours:
10am - 9pm Mon-Sat
10am - 6pm Sun

Phone:
(808) 488-0981
Fax:
(808) 488-9456

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 © 2008 Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman's Hawaii Real Estate and Relocation Blog. All rights reserved

Pearl City, Waiau, Waimalu, Pearlridge, Wailuna, and the Aiea neighborhoods are all around the general vacinity and a close hop, skip and a jump to Hickam AFB, Pearl Harbor Navy Base, Camp Smith,Tripler Army Medical Center and Fort Shafter Army Bases.

The map to the below shows the majority of military bases around Oahu in Honolulu County.

Within five miles of each other are the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet and the Pearlridge Kam Swap Meet and they are great places for outdoor shopping for souvenirs, clothing, polynesian style crafts and much more.  Open on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Residential Sales in the Pearl City/Aiea area of Honolulu County. Median Prices mean the midpoint of sales prices...meaning that over half of the sales were above and half were below. Given this information, the Honolulu Board of Realtors placed the Pearl City Residential resales for the first quarter of 2008 at  $704,500 for single family homes (up from the last quarter of 2007) and $323,000 for condos/townhouses (up from the last quarter of 2007)

• Relocating to Hawaii? Ewa Gentry & Ocean Pointe Communities Closer to Schofield Barracks and Wheeler Army Air Field you can travel along Kunia Road to get to the back side of the bases within 20 minutes.
• Royal Palm @ Waipio Gentry: Hawaii Relocations 10-15 Minutes from Schofield and Wheeler Bases.
• Oahu, Hawaii Relocations: The Waipio Gentry Community, Oahu, Hawaii Same as above
• Hawaii Relocations: The Mililani Community on Oahu, Hawaii 5-10 Minutes from Schofield and Wheeler Bases
• Waikele Community - Homes, Condos & Market - Honolulu County Hawaii  Across the highway from Waipio.
• Ko Olina Resort & Marina: Can't Get Any Better Than This! 10-15 Minutes from Schofield and Wheeler Bases and across the highway from Waipio Gentry.
• Hawaii Relocation & Move? The Royal Summit & Newtown Communities in Aiea Hawaii 10-15 minutes from Hickam AFB, Pearl Harbor, Tripler, Ft. Shafter, Camp Smith.
• A Bit Above in Wailuna Community - Honolulu Hawaii Relocation 10-15 minutes from Tripler, Ft. Shafter, Hickam AFB and Pearl Harbor, Camp Smith.

Other articles of market conditions:

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Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman is a Realtor-Associate with Century 21 Liberty Homes in Mililani, Hawaii. With a sharp understanding that a listening ear is the key to a client's needs  she serves the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) and all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents. Website: www.hawaiihomesmarket.com

Newtown and the Royal Summit communities are side by side 'Ridge Neighbors". 

In my last post on  A Bit Above in Wailuna Community - Honolulu Hawaii Relocation I wrote about the Wailuna community on Kaahumanu Street - on the Waiau Ridge. Newtown is right below Wailuna and stretches across to Kaalele Street to the Royal Summit Community.

The Royal Summit community have all custom built homes that were built to the owners delight. They are all zoned for ONE residential home on each lot and have been building from the 1980's.

The Newtown Community is an older community and they started building in the early 1970's.

I stopped midway up Kaahele Street after entering the Royal Summit Community and had to stop and take a picture of the beautiful spring Bouganvilia flower blooms. What wonderful colors along the little hillside next to a home.

You can bet you will get your heart pumping with a little excercise walking up and down just a couple of blocks in this area as Kaahele Street is a steep incline to the top!

But with beautiful views and cool mountain air I presume it is more of a sightseeing trip as it was driving up and down this ridge.

The view at the top of the Royal Summit community was breathtaking! 

The vacant lot I stood on had a 'platform' retaining wall that extended out over the valley. Gusts of wind coming in through the valley from the ocean were cool and soothing with the sounds of rustling trees from below. The sun was shining and it was just me on this platform looking out over the south side of Oahu stretching from the Pearlridge/Aiea area and overlooking Pearl Harbor and past to the ocean.

I had a peaceful and gorgeous moment right then.

To the left of this picture was a view from Honolulu Harbor stretching over downtown all the way to Waikiki and Diamond Head.

Whoever owned this vacant lot was saving it for something very special!

The Military Bases around the the Newtown and Royal Summit  Communities, Wailuna, Pearl City, Waiau, Pearlridge and Aiea areas are Pearl Harbor Navy Base, Camp Smith, Tripler Army Medical Center, Hickam AFB and Ft. Shafter.

And for more information on surrounding area schools:  

• Hawaii Public Schools
• Hawaii Association Independent Schools 

• Leeward Community College | Start Here Today. Get Ahead Tomorrow.

The following market statistics for single family homes in the Royal Summit and Newtown neighborhoods are for the last six months.

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Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman is a Realtor-Associate with Century 21 Liberty Homes in Mililani, Hawaii. With a sharp understanding that a listening ear is the key to a client's needs  she serves the island of Oahu (Honolulu County) and all Hawaii Military Relocating to Hawaii, Hawaii Retirees, Hawaii Job Transfers and Hawaii Residents. Website: www.hawaiihomesmarket.com

*All content and pictures are the property of Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman*