When Mike and Sonja McGinnis started their Internet- based home and personal accessory business eight years ago, they had little idea they would make a smooth transition from cyberspace to “meatspace.” Today, the couple are owners of the newest retail
When Mike and Sonja McGinnis started their Internet- based home and personal accessory business eight years ago, they had little idea they would make a smooth transition from cyberspace to “meatspace.” Today, the couple are owners of the newest retail outlet in Kapa‘a.
“Unlike the Internet, retail is all face-to-face,” said Mike. “I really like it. I’m feeling very positive about it.”
Called Divine Planet, Mike and Sonja McGinnis see the shop as the retail extension of their web-based business, Whirled Planet, which has been offering jewelry, gifts and home accessories since 1996. Their newly renovated shop in the old H&S Publishing building sits smack in the middle of a booming Kapa‘a town, where rents are going up, and entrepreneurs like McGinnis are only too happy to jump at the chance of renting in such a hot location.
Dripping with natural wood, saffron tones and bamboo, the shop draws in the many hundreds of people who stroll the walkways around Kapa‘a, looking for something to catch their eye n and something to buy.
Upon entering Divine Planet, the place literally sparkles with accessories: high-end silver earings and wearables, paper “star lamps,” hand-made throw pillows, purses, curtains, duvet covers, cushions, a kaleidoscope of multi-colored beads n all from far-away and exotic places like India, Thailand, Czech Republic and Vietnam. The shop feels as comfortable as a pair of wellworn sandals. Soft lighting draws the eye to walls lined with intricately crafted silver pieces and a vast selection of beads n mysterious little rocks to the uninformed, but wondrous gems to the fashionable or craftsperson.
You learn that the silver pieces, made of 95 percent silver, are all hand-made by tribal craftspeople in Thailand, who produce such minutely weaved patterns and shapes that it looks like it took years to complete. It’s a wonder the McGinnis were able to make such a success selling their items on the Internet.
That’s because Divine Planet is one of those tactile stores, where feeling an item or experiencing the prismatic light patterns of the lamps, is worth a thousand pictures or words. “We carry home décor that is opulent and contemporary with today’s trends,” said Sonja McGinnis.
Throw down a few handmade pillows, hang a few star lamps, and you’ve spiced up your pad for a few bucks, says Mike.
“With all the building happening on Kaua‘i, we’ve found that the home accessories are our best sellers right now,” he said. If their retail shop is to succeed, Mike figures, then their prime location across from the Olympic Cafe has already given them an edge.
“There’s a good mix of shops in the area,” he said. “It’s hard to get a space down here. We were looking for months and took this space right away.”
Divine Planet is open Mon. to Sat. from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is located at 1351 Kuhio Highway.
