As some of you know, I LOVE to travel. Seriously love it. And I often am not picky at all about where I go, as long as I get to see the sights and eat the food….and visit a few craft stores or handmade markets along the way!
This month our whole family took a trip to Hawaii’s Big Island (also called Hawaii) and we spent 5 days taking it all in. And one of the sights (for me at least) was a few craft stores. (I’ll also talk about my trip to the quilt/fabric stores and the bead shop, but that’s for another post. I have links below for those.)
Today I want to share with you my trip to Island Scrapbooking and Ben Franklin!
Now, I have to start by saying that we don’t have any Ben Franklin Crafts in my part of Ohio, so I’m pretty unfamiliar with them. But I was really impressed with the store in Hilo. They have six locations scattered throughout the islands.
I was happy to see many familiar brands, such as Spellbinders, We R Memory Keepers, and Sizzix.
But I also saw products that catered to the Asian population there, too. You don’t see this in Ohio!
I also saw some Hawaii-specific products for locals to craft with and tourists to eat up with a spoon!
And this particular Ben Franklin had a special “Bead Shop” in the front section. Do they all have that?
Lots of nice beads and findings, and some more familiar products!
AND… they had an area for local crafters to see their wares. I love this idea!
After my trip to Ben Franklin, I headed across the street to Island Scrapbooking.
I love small businesses, so I usually try and spend my cash there. I chatted with the owner, who pointed out some local lines of rubber stamps that were Asian- and Hawaiian-influenced. (Sorry- I forgot to take photos!) But I did make some purchases. Want to see?
I’m looking forward to making some fun things with my new goodies- stay tuned! And I’ll be sharing my trip to the quilt shop, as well in the next few weeks.
Check out other posts:
- Spooky Spider Halloween Bookmark Craft - October 24, 2018
- Review and Demo of LDRS Hybrid Ink Pads - October 15, 2018
- Review and Demo of Nuvo Hybrid Inks - October 1, 2018
- Craft Studio Tour and Organization Ideas - September 20, 2018
- Wax Paper Resist Background Technique - March 20, 2018
- Comparison of Liquid Watercolor Markers/Pens - March 16, 2018
- SAI Japanese Traditional Watercolor Brush Markers- Review & Demo - February 23, 2018
- Rinea Metallic Foil Paper & Ghost Ink Review - February 21, 2018
- Jane Davenport debuts at Creativation 2018 & Watercolor Card - February 13, 2018
- Creativation 2018: New Product Showcase - January 20, 2018
Fancylooks says
Wow, I have only been once to a similar shop and that was in Las Vegas, I couldn’t believe it, I remember I walked out of the shop not buying anything at all because I was so overwhelmed I was like paralyzed!… If I get into one of these nowadays it would be my credit card that would be overwhelmed, what a real danger!
Lynda says
Love the Big Island. Several trips ago when I was into scrapbooking I went to a scrapbooking shop in Kona and found really neat and unusual stuff. But no longer scrapbooking but always have to go to my favorite fabric store on Kona when I’m there. I’ll be watching for your next post to see which shop you went to.
Molly Maloney says
There’s at least one Ben Franklin here in Western Washington, and it’s very similar to the one you described. Great store, and yep – overwhelming. Sounds like a fun trip!
Lori Taniguchi says
I live on Oahu so won’t be able to say in-person “Aloha”! All Ben Franklins in Hawaii have that bead shop. The local BF has a couple of other affiliated franchises; Celebrations which sells packaging and another one that brings in household products from Japan…I think it’s called Sanriki. Those craft lockers are actually for crafters to sell their goods. neat idea huh?
Scrappin2boys says
i live in Washington State and we have several Ben Franklin Stores. They seem to cater to their area. The Redmond and Monroe Stores are very different. I love that place!
Abby Davis says
We have a few Ben Franklins, though they were semi-recently turned into AC Moores. The one by me has that special bead shop area. They have some neat stuff there, but not enough of what I need. I normally go to Michaels and Joann, as they have a better selection. Ben Franklin here has always been more country decor. It’s likely regional what they carry. VA is the start of the South, so we get a smattering of country stuff.
Doris says
I was in Maui a couple of weeks ago and went to Ben Franklin’s. It was exactly as you describe. Fun looking at all they carry.