Koa wood on Maui

[Dennis Yamamoto]

Does anyone know where to find Koa wood on the island of Maui? We are going there in a week. Thanks!

[Jay Radke]

If you happen to go to Kauai, stop at The Koa Store in Lihue.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Google? Maui Hardwoods comes up.

I just want to say be careful. Find a reputable person or store. Avoid the back of the pickup truck sellers. Not saying that they are all shady, but koa is protected, and there are many scammers out there. There are woods that look similar to koa. It could be legit but you would have to be extremely lucky.

I don't personally know anything about Maui Hardwoods. I just googled and they came up.

[Lawrence Nitz]

Contact Shawn Flemming on Maui. She is an exquisite furniture builder who has on occasion harvested some pretty nice wood.

[Dan Bowman]

Shaun Fleming website: http://www.woodentouches.com/

[Dennis Yamamoto]

Thanks everyone! I'll contact Shaun Fleming and Maui Hardwoods.

[Jamie Buxton]

If you want to bring back a souvenir, go for it. But there are folks in the Bay Area who offer koa. There's an outfit in Berkeley advertising on Craigslist, and Global Resources in San Jose has some too.

[Lee Schierer]

Be prepared for sticker shock when you buy Koa. You can google "Maui Woodworking" and find several listings.

[Jay Radke]

Lumber dealers in Chicago have some Koa too.

[Tim Null]

I bought wood from Maui Hardwoods. Really nice place, great wood. They even wrapped it so I could take it back on the plane. The koa was beautiful. They were very helpful. Go there and buy some nice wood and enjoy your vacation!

[Dennis Yamamoto]

I was hoping to find a mill on Maui, but I believe they are all on the Big Island where most of the Koa grows. I'll check Maui Hardwoods and keep an eye on craigslist. What I have found in the local stores is really expensive and plain if I can say that about Koa:)

[alex grams]

Dennis,
I went to Maui once, and Kona several times. I did find a mill/yard in Maui, though it is a 1-2 man operation. How I found it was a guy at the farmers market in Lahaina who was carving little statues from Koa branches in Banyan Park. I asked him where he got the wood, and he gave me the guys phone number. I can't find the phone number, but if you go to google maps and put in the following address:

580 Laie Dr
Makawao, HI 96768

He is the corner house, and you can see from the aerial view all of the logs and slabs he has. He had a few pieces of large Koa in the back, but a lot of other stuff too (Monkeypod, Mango, Macadamia). I spent a good while just talking to him. He said he gets a lot of stuff from friends in the road/highway crews that call him when they have to clear trees for their job. He had a lot of cool stuff and was a nice guy.

Hope this helps.

[Dennis Yamamoto]

Alex, I found the guy. His name is Gilly, and his phone number is 808 572 8540. Nice guy. He has lots of wood including Koa, Kou, Monkey Pod, etc. The Koa is expensive though!