This was my first time ever finding this quaint little fabric shop and I'm so thrilled that I did!! She has a number of different Japanese and Asian printed fabrics that were from Japan as well as some beautiful handmade garments within a futon shop! The lady was very cute and Personable as I bought the fabric from her, I saw all her sewing equipment towards the back. It turns out she had actually been to San Jose's Japantown before the Japanese store, Nichi Bei Bussan! I was very surprised at her wide selection of Japanese and Asian fabrics and they weren't too expensive either. They were anywhere from $14 a yard to $18 a yard! She did get them directly from Japan and I'm pretty sure she had a similar vendor as Nichi Bei Bussan, quite literally quadrupled in sections!! I also liked how everything was organized. She had a section for fabrics with dragons, children's prints, flowers/floral prints, traditional Japanese dots, and then another section with different thicker fabrics. I was in a bit of a rush so I didn't get to check out everything, as my teenage son was waiting out in the air condition. Lol. Nevertheless, I was able to get some very authentic Japanese fabrics and I can't wait to make something with them! She also told me that she's starting a new website besides her futon store she's going to have another website coming up and I took a picture of her page in my pictures Below. I'm really happy. I found a fabric shop in downtown Hilo just on the outskirts of the farmers market but completely walking distance!! read more

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Everytime I'm in Hilo, I stop at Dragon Mama. When I'm in Hilo it's usually for work, so the peace, calm, and nice scent in the shop is a welcome break from running around. The last time I was there, just before the first COVID-19 shutdown, I sat down on a bench with a futon mattress. The bench was beautiful and the mattress was so comfortable. I really wanted to lie down but knew if I did I'd miss my flight. It's a great place for larger or smaller gifts for others - or for yourself. But the big test came recently. I really, really need to get rid of my 18 year old innerspring mattress. It was now too hard for me and worn out and I'd wake up with terrible shoulder, back, and hip pain. My knees are already trashed and the old mattress made things worse. I called and ordered a 4" New Zealand wool futon mattress. (Three inches of filling is standard, but you can add more.) Including shipping to Honolulu, the price was certainly in line with what a standard mattress would have cost. There was a bit of a backlog because demand was high. The mattress was really well-protected and arrived without a blemish. I'd kept my old box spring and put the futon mattress on it. I put on a mattress protector before putting on the sheets. It's really difficult to find sheets that are small enough for a 4" mattress, but I made it work. The first night I didn't sleep well only because I was so freaked out that after buying the new mattress I wouldn't sleep any better. Fortunately I was wrong. By the second night my sleep was much better. I woke with almost no pain in my shoulders or back. Less pain in my knees and right hip. (My knees hurt because of severe arthritis and my right hip hurts indirectly because of the arthritis.) I'm so glad I was able to get this futon mattress from Dragon Mama. read more

Dragon Mama Futon Shop - My new futon mattress, still trussed up, but with the protective plastic removed. - Furniture Stores Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

Wonderful and friendly store. Its Japanese heritage craftsmanship makes it a must for anyone in search of custom and handmade furniture. There are also many small handmade gifts and household items that make this shop a must visit while in Hilo or if you're a local in search of patterned fabrics. read more

The BEST selection of HIGH quality fabrics imported from Japan. In addition to futons and reupholster, the shop offers a fine selection of men's and women's clothing. The store offers beautifully crafted hand woven women's fashions. Customers can select fabrics for custom made aloha style shirts. read more

I needed a new cover for an existing futon (and had already bought sufficient fabric that I "just fell in love with" a few months earlier). But I never got around to making the cover/cushions myself. I'm Sooo Glad that I had Dragon Mama do it! Her work is so perfect and professional! All the complicated patterns (it was a paisley) are perfectly matched. The Futon is beautiful and the exactly as I had envisioned it! I also had her do a meditation cushion for me. And her own fabrics are so beautiful and unique - I'm definitely a repeat customer and will definitely have her do the entire project for my next project. Definitely come by the shop and check it out - you'll be glad you did! read more

Great, friendly, and helpful service, from owner to staff. They ship and will work with you on patterns overseas (Seattle, WA). Most comfortably soft in-house made buckwheat pillows. read more

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My New favorite store in Hilo:) the woman who was working in the store today was so helpful, and was generous with her time in showing me and my dad around- i was looking for a mattress. They had a lot of options, and I was enamored by the selections. Everything is gorgeous, and high quality. I cant wait to start buying items from here! read more

I visited Dragon Mama for the first tine when I vacated in Hilo. I used to lean sewing when I was a child in Tokyo and the store took me back to the school days - beautiful Japanese textiles. I love feeling them in my hand. In the back of the store, there were two Japanese ladies who were sewing...they were using one of those old antique Brother sewing machine. My grandma had one like that in Japan. They make futon. You must check this store out!! read more

One of my favorite stores to visit when window shopping in Hilo downtown. They have Japanese textiles, pillows, a few clothing options, and tea. Years ago I saw for the first time tea tied into balls that open like flowers when used. They get it directly from China and have it packaged in Hawaii. The brand is "Tiger Mama Express...Division of Dragon Mama" read more

Disclaimer: I can't speak for everything Dragon Mama carries, as I was in the shop for one specific purpose. With that said, I'm extremely pleased with the service i received, as well as the quilt fabric I purchased -- and, I should note, I purchased a lot. I walked out of the shop with about $200 worth of quilt fabric, purchased in half-yard increments. Wide variety, with emphasis on Japanese and Chinese fabrics, including kimono fabric and a small sampling of Chinese brocades. The fabrics ranged from subtle tone-on-tone prints to indigo cottons to kimono-inspired prints. For a quilter interested in adding a distinctly Chinese or Japanese flavor to her work, this was a treasure trove. I can't speak to the rest of the inventory, but if you're a quilter visiting the Big Island, expect to spend money here and be glad of it. read more

Came in to get some japanese fabrics for souvenirs. Beautiful shop and the people were very nice and helpful. Will come b back again next time we come to the Big Island . Mahalo. read more

The beautiful Japanese fabrics offered in this store make me wish I could sew. They also sell futons (really the main thrust of the business, given the name) and some ceramics. Lovely lighting and warm wood shelves were inviting and serene after a bright day outside. Check out their unusual material for your craft projects: not inexpensive, but definitely unique. read more

I love this store! There is so much to look at! When you go to pay in the back you get to see a well loved sewing room. I love to see behind the scenes of small businesses. The futons are amazing. All of the fabrics are beautiful. I love that you can go in & find something with whatever budget you are working with. From the beautiful sleepy eye masks to the amazingly comfy futons the quality is always there. It is no wonder she's been open for 30 years! read more

Dragon Mama is one of those special local businesses that defines the character of Hilo. The owner has high standards for her products and is constantly improving and adapting them to their environment. I love the way Japanese furnishings are designed to work with nature, and Dragon Mama is true to that tradition. Our wool futon is well-suited for Hilo's humid climate (and wonderful to sleep on). In addition to futons, the store carries shoji and tatami, zafu and zabuton, kimono and slippers, and more. Everything is handmade or hand-selected with an eye for quality and detail. read more

We stopped by Dragon Mama while visitng Hilo on vacation and were very impressed by the quality of Utae's work. We decided to order our custom futon set from Dragon Mama once we returned to Los Angeles. Our necks and backs have been thanking us for months, ever since our futons arrived in November! Utae worked with us extremely conscientiously via email and telephone and was attentive to every little detail of the order. We realized too late that we should have chosen a fabric from the vast selection at the store while we were there in person. Nonetheless, Utae was extremely patient and skillfully intuitive about "figuring out our taste" long distance, and kindly emailed us photos of the more recent fabrics she had in stock that weren't on the website yet. When the actual futon set with pillows arrived, we were stunned...our bedding was even MORE beautiful and higher quality than what we expected! The quality of the materials is just outstanding and the bedding just feels soooo good to sleep on, in hot weather or cold. We finally sleep through the night and wake up refreshed. We feel happier and less crabby during the day thanks to better sleep and less chronic pain. It has actually helped our relationship and our work productivity. Both of our back problems largely went away. My husband weighs a looooot more than I do and no western-style mattress could meet both of our needs at the same time. Our last mattress set, a special set from Ortho that cost $1500, still left us with sore backs and necks and fitful sleep. We spent a few weeks sleeping on a carpeted floor in a guest house last summer, during our summer in Honolulu. Yes, it took my husband about 2-4 reluctant weeks to get used to the carpeted floor. But he noticed his back problems went away. All of a sudden he was quite interested when we saw the cushy futon mattresses in the Dragon Mama store. Now he's a real convert. By the way, with the futon set, we don't feel it AT ALL if the other person moves. That a bonus that helps us sleep better, too. Since my husband's birthday was coming up, I also asked Utae to design a special wool-stuffed body pillow as a birthday present for him. The cheapie body pillows from Target get so flat right away and stop providing real support for a heavy person's legs. My husband LOOOOVES his Dragon Mama body pillow SOOO much!!! She even sewed little cloth ties along the sides so that he can fold his long body pillow in half and tie it in place doubled up when he wants extra thickness and support. I have wide shoulders and sleep on my side, so neck support has always been a huge issue with me. The buckwheat cylinder roll pillow from Dragon Mama is high enough and firm enough to support my neck properly without being fluffy. Fluffy pillows suffocate me because they bunch up around my nose, and they end up flat under my neck in the middle of the night anyway. I enjoy clear breathing and nonstop neck support with the sobakawa cylinder roll. What value for the money--this really is quality bedding that will last a LIFETIME. We'll just need to switch out the covers once every few years. Note: Utae REALLY knows her stuff. Listen to her suggestions carefully; she makes them based on years and years of experience. She was right about everything including the suggestion of extra stuffing due to my husband's body weight. The one minor thing we didn't listen to her on, she was right about, too. :-) We are just delighted with our futon and pillow set from Dragon Mama. It has been worth every penny! read more

A nice & tranquil shop located among the other cute stores in Hilo. Their fabric selection was great and at a great price, but I had to go to the bathroom so bad, I couldn't concentrate, had to run across the street to the public restroom. So I only spent about 10 minutes in there....Don't eat a Hawaiian papaya before you go shopping! read more

Dragon Mama has the best custom made futon's and zabutons. Also she has the best yucatas and kimono on island. I love her shop and have been going there for many years to get cushions covered, yucata and other Japanese specialties. Quality in the Japanese tradition! That's what you get at Dragon Mama read more

This little store is simply delightful. It is clean, orderly, and offers a gorgeous array of fabrics. My mom and I went there because a local suggested it and we were not sorry. The atmosphere is calming and I seriously could have spent all my money on fabric- everything was lovely and unique. We will be back. read more

What an absolute treasure! I have to admit that I've walked past this store dozens of times, sometimes even peering into the window, but never walked in. This past weekend, our out of town guests wanted to check it out and found many wonderful home accessories here! Beautiful selection of japanese fabrics, organic cotton clothing and bedding, japanese home linens and accessories (including bedding stuff like futon mattresses, duvet, lamps, etc.). We walked out with a japanese buckwheat hull pillow designed in a crescent shape (zafu mediation cushion) and MADE LOCALLY IN HILO - what a find! If you peer back into the rear of the store, you'll see their entire setup of sewing machines and rolls and rolls of fabrics. We selected the cover from a variey of colors and they stuffed it while we waited. Excellent quality and value! Kudo's for bringing quality goods to sleeping Hilo! read more

Dragon Mama is a beautiful store! They have a lovely selection of Japanese fabrics and simple and beautiful housewares and furniture. My SIL has one of their futons and it was one of the best nights sleep I have ever had, especially for a futon. It is also very cool to see them making everything right there. Lovely store to visit if you need a need bed or just some fun fabrics to play with... read more

Dragon Mama makes high-quality real Japanese-style futons that last forever. We had custom futons made to order more than 15 years ago, and they are still fluffy and perfect today. Worth the cost!!! read more

The staff were so kind and extremely helpful. I asked if I could do a double sided futon and they allowed me to create a custom design. I spent well over an hour trying to mix and match fabrics and they answered all of my questions and offered their advice as to what would look best. They were absolutely amazing. Mahalo Dragon Mama! read more

Dragon Mama Futon Shop - The staff were so kind and extremely helpful. They answered all of my questions and offered their advice as to what would look best. - Furniture Stores Near Me - Hilo, Hawaii

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Fabric shop has some pretty Asian fabrics. Very helpful ladies, and very sweet to work with! If you sew or quilt check them out for Japanese style prints read more

How could I not have yelped Dragon Mama !! We have three of her beds here in Hilo and even had her send us the futon part for our queen bed in San Francisco. Most comfortable way to sleep ever. I highly recommend. Love her fabrics, too. read more

I love this small locally owned shop I visited in Hilo last week. I bought a pillowcase in a unique fabric that was just in time for my other case to fall apart. (We were camping.) I love buying a product directly from the seller especially one who is efficient and friendly. There was a lot of nice fabric on display and other products including natural bedding for customization, kitchenware and small personal/household items, like well made hand fans and camellia oil. My BF said he wished he could have some shirts made in some of the fabrics and wear only those all the time. The owner, the "dragon mama", I presume, had some beautiful vintage Japanese textiles decorating the sewing studio in the back such as a painted wax-resist "boy's day" flag I asked her about. I would have my bedding made there if I lived on Hawai'i. I've been to Japan twice and this looked very much like a shop there. Parking is easy, free and abundant except maybe not right now (Late March/early April) during Merry Monarch Festival time. Bike parking would be easy too. Downtown Hilo is laid out in a really simple, easy to navigate grid with extra free parking by the bus station right across the street from Dragon Mama. I highly recommend you go there. I get the feeling they can order other specialty items from Japan too, so potential resource if you live on Big Island. read more

The store has lots of fabric to choose from, however, the store owner is very rude!!!! Would not recommend this store to anyone. You can find other fabric stores on the island that are much nicer and friendly and much more helpful. read more

We had a custom sized futon made and it is wonderful, far exceeding our expectations or hopes. And it was done incredibly quickly- 3 days from order to pick up. Plus everyone who works there is a pleasure to deal with. I don't think I've ever thought more highly of a business. read more