Just returned to CONUS from my first ever trip to Hawaii. I managed to sneak in some CD hunting while there and wanted to share my experience as the other Hawaii threads here are all closed. I went to a total of six stores, four of which I'd recommend visiting if you're in Honolulu. Please bear in mind that this feedback is from a CD only (no vinyl) perspective. The Hungry Ear - This was the only proper record store that I found on my trip. Good selection, well organized, (mostly) fair prices and friendly staff. Hungry Ear Records Idea's Books and Music - This store had the largest selection of CD's of all the stores I visited. It also had the highest prices. Most CD's are priced at $8-9. That being said, the (presumed) owner noticed me meticulously going through the CD's and asked if wanted to see the "Two dollar room." Of course! He took me down a hallway to a separate room that had a bunch of vinyl, cd's and tapes. All CD's in the room are $2 each. Overall, this store was my favorite due to the vast selection. https://www.ideasmusicandbooks.com/ Bookoff - This was cleanest, most well lit and easiest to browse store that I visited. I intentionally left out "well organized" because the alphabetization was by band name or artist's FIRST name! So Bob Dylan can be found in the "B's", for example. I've never seen that in a store before. That said, it was an overall pleasurable shopping experience, and I was hoping to find a bunch of CD's here, but only walked out with two. Village Books and Music - Essentially, this is an extension of the Hawaii public library system, with all profits going to support the library. From what I could tell, the inventory isn't ex-library copies, but rather donations from the friends of the library. This store had the best prices of all that I visited with most CD's being in the $2-4 range. Village Books & Music - Friends of the Library of Hawaii
I don't recall if Aloha Got Soul had CDs, but I really enjoyed that store when I was in Honolulu a few months ago. +1 on Hungry Ear.
Having lived on the island of Oahu for the last 8 years, and being a dedicated used CD hunter, I agree with your assessment of our meager options. I've found that Idea's has some great deals, but also some weirdly inflated prices on some used CDs. I think Hungry Ear has a better handle on consistent and reasonable pricing, although their selection is much smaller.
Thanks for the feedback Tom. Good to hear from a local that I didn’t miss any stores of significance. I also went to two thrift stores - a Goodwill and a Savers - but the selection at both was pretty poor, so I didn’t recommend them. Your state is beautiful and the people were very friendly. I can certainly see why people refer to it as “Paradise.”
