If you are a long-time Hawai`i resident who enjoys reading and a sweet deal, you've probably…read moreperused the donation shelves at your local library branch, and possibly attended the famous annual summer Friends of the Library of Hawai`i (FLH) book sale at McKinley Cafeteria, where the volunteer organization sold donated and library-withdrawn books at bargain basement prices. Profits support the State of Hawai'i's 51 Public Libraries. In more recent years, FLH opened a year-round used bookstore: Village Books and Music, first at the old Pier One, then a terrific space in Ward Centre next to Sedona. Due to the imminent demolition of Ward Center, the establishment shuttered the Ward location on 5/31/26, and will be reopening in mid-July at 610 Ward Ave., a.k.a. "Obama Building." While not as extensive as more famous used bookstores, e.g. NYC's "The Strand" and Portland's "Powell's Books," I thought there was a lot to love about Village Books and Music, where you could find books, but also CDs, vinyl records, games, puzzles, nostalgic Hawai`i memorabilia, and even art. While admittedly not all genres are well-stocked, when I've visited, I was impressed with the poetry section, which is small, but nicely curated, featuring a number of renowned BIPOC poets and local poets: look carefully, and you can find some signed editions in great shape. If you're looking for local Hawai`i writers or Hawaiian/Pacific materials, this store is worth browsing. And what a win-win: you get literary goods on the cheap AND you support the amazing Hawai`i State Library System: a worthy community hub committed to egalitarian public education!

We love coming to this spot after a meal at the Ward. The kid loves perusing the comic book…read moresection. This is where he's bought comic books every year on vacation. I love book stores in general so I don't mind hanging out checking out all the new books and art they have. We love coming here every year we're in town :)

Bookoff Pearlridge... what can I say? Cheap books, cheap movies, cheap games, and cheap whatever…read moreelse they sell lol. Sadly we don't have many bookstores on the island, there is of course Barnes and Noble, Bookoff, bookends, and few other stores. After Borders closed, we don't have many places to go to buy brand new books except for Walmart or Target. However, there are many good finds here and a chance to give some used books/media/toys a new home. The staff here are very nice, though of course they don't have a system catalog here. But that's part of the fun, the treasure hunting fun. You never know what you may find. Bookoff also has a buyback counter, where you can sell your used movies, books, etc. but just be aware they are like the old saying where they only offer pennies on the dollar. So you won't make a lot of money selling here. But if you just want to get rid of stuff and make some money, this may be a good option for you.

Shoots, This Place is the So Da Bomb! Came in yesterday with two shopping carts stuffed with books…read moreand honestly didn't know what to expect -- but wow, this place totally exceeded my expectations! The owner greeted me right away with that warm, aloha spirit energy. No attitude, no long drawn-out process. She got straight to scanning my old dusty books while I waited, and when she was done, she texted me -- yes, texted me -- to let me know. Walked up, got my receipt, got my quote. Super professional, super smooth. Here's the best part: while I was waiting, I browsed around and found three gifts for my grandchildren that I knew they'd love. So in one trip I freed up a ton of space at home from books that had been taking up way too much room and knocked out some gift shopping. Win-win-win! The whole setup is easy too -- rolled the carts right from my car into the store, no stress. My friend was chillin' in the massage chair outside the whole time, so nobody's time was wasted. I was originally just gonna dump everything at Goodwill. So glad I didn't. I'm already planning to come back with my old DVDs and CDs just sitting my shed in the backyard. If you've got stuff collecting dust at home, bring it here first. You might walk out with cash in your pocket and a smile on your face. Highly recommend. 5/5, no question!

The 2 ladies working went over and beyond in helping me from start to finish. They were so nice,…read morehelpful and sweet. (Great customer service) hard to find in youngster now days. Definitely will be coming back again. So glad I was able to found this shop

One of our favorite shops at Ala Moana for all the kpop finds! My girls love spending their time…read moreand hard-earned money in here on posters, stickers and all the good finds.

I like a hole in the wall, but this market is a hot mess. I don't understand the high rating. The…read moreshelves are way too close together and there is no logical order. Glass jars are stacked high. There is food on the floor. The clerks, while friendly, don't know where stuff is. My daughter asked for canned garbanzo beans and they said they didn't have them, but they did (I found them). They couldn't find a mix that we asked for, but we later did. I was looking for fresh naan, but they only had frozen. So, I'm guessing they have the corner on Indian ingredients in Honolulu. The positive is that they carry a lot of the necessities for Indian cooking. They staff is friendly and they have a private parking lot.

It's a great place to find things and Halal food you can't find anywhere else. You can ask the…read morestore to bring items that's you and your family needs to see available and they bring it in. Going in person to CA for groceries becomes costly so using the local merchants make it happens

I found some old video tapes of my grandfather (who passed away) and wanted to be able to view them…read moreon a television/computer. BOSCOSMO always does a great job transferring my home videos to dvds / flash drives. Thanks to them I was able to save memories of my Grandpa forever and even play some of the videos at his memorial service. They are a small owned business so you know that they will remember you and take care of your family memories as they would their own. I've always come here for video transfer services (they used to be called cosmo enterprise) and trust them with my most cherished family videos.

From the owner: Home and Professional Video transfers of all formats VHS, 8mm film , HI8 , 3/4 U Matic , Betacam…read more to Digital formats . CD DVD duplication copies . Software and programming services . IOS and Android App development services .Website creation and digital marketing .