Old Lahaina Courthouse

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648 Wharf Street
Maui, Hawaii 96761
(808) 667-9193Website
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More than just a Restroom Stop

January 16, 2009
Rated 4 of 5 by two cruisers from Ames, Iowa

Located between the Banyan Tree and the Lahaina Harbor is a blocky two story building with four columns on the front. This is the Old Courthouse. Built in the 1800s using stones from the demolished palace of Kamehameha III, it served as courthouse and customhouse. Presently it has four functions: offices for The Visitor Center, co-op gallery for local artists, museum and gift shop. I confess that on previous trips I only ventured in here to use the public restrooms. Now I know its other values.The gallery occupies one half of the first floor and a rabbit warren of rooms in the basement that include a few jail cells. The artwork here is generally less professional than can be found in Maui’s many galleries, but it is a good starting place for artist and artisans. On the upper floor half the building is office space, restrooms, and elevator. The other half of that floor is nice little museum of Maui historical items. There is no admission fee. We saw lots of scrimshaw, whalebone artifacts and other mariner crafts and tools. On the remaining half of the first floor was a gift shop. It was the answer to my dreams. On the two weeks we had been on Maui, I had been looking for the perfect print to take home for that honored place above our fireplace. We had done a lot of gallery hopping, and I had been very disappointed to find there was nothing available in my price range that fit my specifications of color, style, subject and price. But this gift shop that catered to all things Lahaina, had what I wanted and I even had a variety to choose from. Each year Lahaina holds a poster contest. Artists enter paintings of Lahaina or Lahaina-esque subjects and a jury selects the winner. The winning painting is labeled with Lahaina and the year, and then reprinted in lots of 2000-2500. Each print for sale is numbered and is personally signed by the artist. An authenticity document accompanies each print. All this for $10 a piece! This is possibly the best bargain you can find in Maui. I bought three and raced to the UPS Store we found at The Fairway Shops at Ka’anapali, 2580 Kekaa Drive. When we arrived home a week later our poster prints were waiting for us and they were in good condition. I found places of honor for all three prints. If I lived on Maui I would buy the new winner each year.

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