10 Best Places to Shop in The West Side, Kauai

The best-known brands in camp, beach, surf, and skate gear can be found at this flagship of Aloha Exchange, along with a good selection of locally designed graphic T-shirts and caps available exclusively here. Personalize your reusable water flask with a couple of their stickers as Island souvenirs. It's popular with locals, especially younger beachgoers.

The signature treat here, the chocolate opihi, is made with a dash of culinary humor: layers of crispy cookie, gooey caramel, crunchy macadamia nut, and chocolate shell form a little cone . . . a lot like the shape and texture of limpets found clinging to shoreline rocks and which are also considered a delicacy. Fear not: no seafood is involved in this decadent candy. Fudge, bars, and chocolate-covered pretzels make good gifts, and the gelato is ono (delicious). Phone and online orders are now accepted.

Kauai produces more coffee than any other Island, and this is the largest coffee farm in the United States. The 100% local product is grown with sustainable practices and can be purchased from grocery stores or at the plantation, where you can sample nearly two dozen coffees before or after a tour. Be sure to try some of the exclusive estate-roasted varieties. Coffee is available online, too. Fun fact: the factory, quaint old camp houses, and visitor center are located in a settlement called Numila, which is a Hawaiian way to say "new mill."

Located in a historic building in quiet Hanapepe Town, this is the only bookstore on Kauai, with some 25,000 titles and a resident cat. On Friday Art Nights, authors sign their books out front while live music and food trucks entertain meandering crowds. New, used, rare, and out-of-print books are sold here, as well as vinyl records, comics, vintage video games, and two exclusive sticker lines.

What started as a one-woman operation in 1991 now employs a dozen artists who hand-paint ceramic tiles, tableware, ornaments, and fun signs at this factory store in a 1926 former pool hall. Glazes are lead-free and kilns are powered by solar panels, which feed back to the power grid when they're not firing. The studio's "Mahalo for Removing your Slippers" plaques are a classic island souvenir. Custom orders are available.

Any town with paniolo (cowboy) culture, where folks still ride the back roads at sunset, needs an old-style general store. Offering a quaint mix of both practical goods and finery, this westernmost Western shop has boots for mucking out stables, shirts too fine to wear roping, saddles, gifts for all ages, farm decor, and shelves stocked with hard-to-find soda pop varieties.

Besides the grocery store in Waimea Town 2 miles away, this locally owned minimart in Kekaha is your last stop for snacks, beverages, ice, sunscreen, and limited grocery items before heading up to Waimea Canyon or out to Polihale Beach.

Designer Veronica Groepler has been crafting semiprecious bead jewelry since the mid-1980s, so savvy locals and travelers know to seek her out in the center of sleepy Hanapepe. Her pieces inspired by the flora of the islands are showcased along with a selection of women's bohemian clothing and works by contemporary Hawaii artists.

Blueberry-piña colada, lilikoi (passion fruit) cheesecake, coconut or banana cream: these are among the mouthwatering tropical pies offered at the full-service main location of this bakery. It also delivers desserts and savory potpies weekly to Lihue and Poipu, and sells at the Kukuiula farmers' market on Wednesdays. Seating and parking are very limited, so get pies to go---you can even take a frozen one on the plane.

Hanapepe has been a salt-making center for centuries, so it's only appropriate to pick up some gourmet ingredients at this family-run factory store. Salt is blended with herbs and spices or infused with tropical fruits, and staff readily share recipes that use favorites like Passion Fruit Chili Pepper, Java Steak Rub, and Guava Garlic Salt. Impress guests at your next cocktail hour by rimming mai tai glasses with coconut cane sugar.