The inside of the homeclectic showroom seems dramatically out of place compared to the historic, sugar-plantation-era building it occupies. Owner Jack Luber, who speaks of himself and his business in the first person, says, “I’m kind of an urban showroom,”
The inside of the homeclectic showroom seems dramatically out of place compared to the historic, sugar-plantation-era building it occupies.
Owner Jack Luber, who speaks of himself and his business in the first person, says, “I’m kind of an urban showroom,” like something one would find in Soho or Los Angeles.
Countless other folks who have found the five-month-old showroom are taken aback that something this different is open for business on the North Shore, or anywhere on Kaua‘i.
Luber takes it one step further. “I’m offering something not available anywhere else in the state, with a different kind of energy,” he says of his custom-furniture and interior-design studio, in the old Kilauea Dispensary building off Kilauea Road.
The stone exterior of the building, which also used to house offices of Kilauea Sugar, gives way to a totally different feel for customers coming into the shop.
Luber describes his shop as “very clean, Scandinavian, European, Southern California, modern, Danish, right out of Dwell magazine,” taking some words also from people who have found the new business. “It’s almost like leaving the island,” he added.
Luber, who lives with his family in Kalihiwai Ridge, opened homeclectic because, among other reasons, he wanted to “serve the community that is going to serve me,” and wanted to work in the area where he and his wife, Kaua‘i native and model Leilani Bishop, are raising their son.
The couple met in New York City, where native New Yorker Luber designed interiors of bars and restaurants.
At homeclectic, folks will find American-made furniture, mostly hardwood, at competitive prices, in styles ranging from traditional to minimalist post-modern. People won’t find any wicker, rattan or Hawaiian furnishings there, he said.
They will find ceiling and floor fans, floor- and wall-texturing options, and an accommodating attitude from Luber and his sole employee.
Luber, through his connections with furniture manufacturers in Southern California, also wants to reduce the wait time North Shore and other Kaua‘i residents are used to, sometimes even having to wait for appliances.
From the time the order is placed, the manufacturer is able to produce finished pieces in two weeks, and ship them to the island within 10 days once production is accomplished, he said. Already enjoying customers who live from Anahola to Ha‘ena, Luber notes that there are “tons of new homes” from Kapahi to Ha‘ena, and the owners of some of those dwellings might be in the mood for the different types of interiors he can provide.
Toward that end, he offers home visits, where he makes house calls and suggestions, and gives potential customers an idea of how much it will cost them to furnish a room or whole home.
“You’re not limited anymore,” he said.
The store is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., giving him ample time before and after store hours to conduct home visits, and offer private appointments at the store.
“It’s as if they walked into their own showroom,” he said of the personalized attention he is able to offer customers who schedule private, in-store appointments.
For more information, please call 828-6465, or 634-2344.
Paul C. Curtis, associate editor, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@pulitzer.net.
