Uʻi Gallery — Attraction in Maui

I went in to check out the shop and asked if there was a bathroom for customers, and if not could they possible give me any tips for how to find a bathroom in the area. I was asked which business I had come to that area for, so I answered honestly and said the restaurant next door (which was the truth, I had only entered this random strip mall in order to grab some food). I was then met with a patronizing and self righteous comment, implying that I was being rude or taking advantage simply by asking what the bathroom situation was. The store owner was smiling throughout, but that just made it feel more passive aggressive. She literally could have just said, sorry the restroom is for customers only, and I would have happily bought something. Or said sorry there’s no restroom, and I would have said ok thanks and BOUGHT SOMETHING ANYWAY! The ironic thing is that I was absolutely planning to shop there after using the restroom and grabbing food. The next words out of my mouth were going to be that it was a cute shop and how nice the stuff looked! I also specifically said in my question, “is there a bathroom for customers?” implying that I myself am a customer! But I’m a human being and have to take care of my basic needs first! If I had felt welcome there I would have gone back! Why would you instantly assume that a stranger who walks through the door is trying to take advantage after exchanging one sentence with them? In a large and empty store with zero other customers in it, it could not possibly hurt to at least be helpful. There were literally no other customers waiting to be helped. Also, in a business very clearly oriented towards visitors, it is so blatantly obvious that people who are traveling DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THEIR OWN BATHROOM!! It’s fundamentally just a really really basic human need that is unavoidably going to come up, and people who are in between hotels or are traveling around the island are GOING TO ASK ABOUT THE BATHROOM in your shop! I understand that Maui is swamped with tourists right now and it’s probably frustrating to be right next door to a more popular business that brings crowds, but implying that someone is being a bad person for looking for a restroom is just ridiculous. Not every person who enters your shop sought you out specifically because they researched it ahead of time. Sometimes people just pop in because they were already walking past and the window looked nice (like me). If the first question you ask every potentially customer is “what business did you come here for?”, the majority are probably going to say, not this one specifically! Regardless of the situation or location! If at that point you decide to scold them for not having specifically preplanned to come to your exact business, you won’t keep many customers!

Edit: thanks for the information that you do not have a restroom. It’s nice to receive that information, since it is the exact answer to the question that I politely asked. If you had simply given me that answer, I never would have written this review at all. It’s not the not providing a restroom for customers or the public that’s the problem, it’s heavily and immediately implying that I’m a bad person for needing to pee. It’s literally just a really basic biological function of having a body… like, it’s so simple and straightforward… I genuinely don’t understand how you could possibly say “your own self interest” as if I’m a really selfish person for simply attempting to care for a completely involuntary human need… If you have no desire to have to ever speak about it I suggest posting a sign on the window or door. This whole experience was so bizarre and negative that I actually went back and doublechecked the door for a sign about no restrooms that maybe I had missed, but...

Racheal Ray is a nightmare sociopathic shop owner/artist. She greats you with a warm welcome but is actually the rudest person one will likely encounter.

I was asking her if she had coconut postcards and I was immediately cut off before I could mention "postcards" when she rudely told me that I was free to shop in her store but that she was not a concierge. She told me that locals do not buy coconuts which was also an irrelevant statement to make as I was looking for something specific. I finally told her that I didn't mean to offend her but just was asking if her particular store had that item but that she had not given me a chance to speak. I got offended and immediately left the store.

I came back with my friend so that she could also observe this spectacle and maybe we could confront the owner about her behavior. The whole time she followed us around her probably 350 sq feet store telling us things in Hawaiian and how she and her family have designed everything in the store. Some of the items in her store looked nice but I would never purchase anything from such a rude person. I predict her store will fail due to her seethingly rude behavior and scary personality. She stands in the own way of her success.

I can tell from the previous reviews on here that the shop owner always has a response to her rude behavior that has been documented multiple times. My personal suggestion is that she fix her behavior and practice self reflection before having quick, witty responses to each potential customer she offends.

Update: I am not fully American, 2. I am part of a marginalized population that has been discriminated against, 3. I too speak another language. My intention is not to play discrimination olympics but it is to say that this shop owner's reply seeks to hijack the conversation away from the true issue at hand, her abhorrent attitude and rudeness, and instead attempts to convince others that I'm inherently discriminative and entitled which is not the case. If your store is exclusive to Hawaiian locals - make a sign that says so saving people the heartache from your poor bigoted behavior...

Extremely Unwelcoming and Hostile Experience

My friends and I had just arrived in Maui after a long flight and were walking around exploring when we came across this souvenir shop. We thought it’d be a good chance to browse for swimwear and check out some local items. While my friends were looking at the necklaces and chatting about them, While I wandered off on my own to check out the swimsuit section, the owner approached my friends, and I overheard her say, “There’s the door,” which left me confused and concerned.

When I came back over, she began explaining that all the art and souvenirs were handmade by her and her family, and that if we weren’t there to support them, we should leave — implying we were loitering and just using the AC. We had only been in the store for maybe five minutes and were genuinely interested in browsing. We hadn’t even had a chance to look around properly or decide if we wanted to buy anything.

This experience made us feel incredibly unwelcome and uncomfortable. It’s not how anyone should be treated, especially at a small business that claims to value local support. We didn’t say anything initially, but after reading other one-star reviews, we realized unfortunately, our experience lines up with what many others have said about the rude treatment by the owner.

This review isn’t meant to be spiteful, but to spread awareness. There are so many other amazing local businesses in Maui that treat customers with warmth and aloha. We strongly encourage you to support...