Re-use Hawaii

I shouldn’t be allowed here unsupervised! I want it ALL. I don’t even know what I want things for half the time, just that I want them because they will become something amazing on my hands one day! I want to set up a tent out by the solar panels and just live there so I can name awesome stuff everyday… and I would t mind being re-​used myself. :)

Great place for those wanting to do projects or some remodeling. We’re making some changes to a house in a few weeks and were so excited with the items we found there and the great pricing. So many options and very well organized. Hidden gem for sure!

Best place to wile away an afternoon dreaming of all the handy & amazing up-​cycling projects you could craft from random plumbing materials and old dresser drawers.
With boxes, bins and piles of reclaimed building materials, its the first place I search for light bulbs and the only place where I can find expensive Italian pendant lights that some home owner in Kahala just had to discard.
People complain about the prices and it’s just like any other choice in the world: You could get it cheaper at Walmart, but is price truly the reason you’re wandering around a hot, dusty reclaimed building supply place in Kaka’ako trying to find inspiration?
Give yourself lots of time. There are treasures in that place.

Welcome to the new (re-​purposed) world! Yes, this is such a great place to find what others would consider trash. I liken this idea and place to the Goodwill of construction.
From windows, flooring, old doors and yes I even seen burnt wood from what looked like a house fire.
I have personally found light fixtures that I currently use in my house. The location in Campbell also had over stock items. This means they are new and never used but just overstock of misc items.
If you are currently thinking of remodeling, re building or even just trying to find a weekend project, I would suggest you make a trip down to this place. You will find something that will inspire you to make something.

Been there multiple times. I even have an «account» with them — nothing fancy, just a phone number reference. As an owner/​repairer/​renovator of a 1950’s home, this business has been invaluable. Recently did a kitchen demo/​renovation, using reclaimed materials. Combining this place with the conventional cabinets from a nearby supplier — gave a customized look at the fraction of what we could have $pent. Be forewarned though — always go there with good gloves and a tape measure. Sorting though the rough stock and moving heavy (ish) stuff will require protection. They do have tape measures and a bathroom available. You will also need to be creative with what you can load and bring home. I’ve done pickups on a motorcycle as well as a minivan. Good hunting and gawking.

My wife and I went here after needing a water heater to replace at one of our rentals and found a 80 gallon heater for only $ 80 dollar… what a great deal. We not only found what we came for but also found great ideas to make a patio bench. What a great place and great customer service. Thank you Jessica…

Awesome store. Friendly folks. Dont expect great selection n even prices are a bit high for junk. But I like to stop in help a non profit. I usually go there first and stop by lowes after to get the rest. I have bought a lot for home n garden projects. Love the idea but I would like to be able to haggle on items. Found things cheaper at lowes and brand new.
Never had a problem with customer service.
Like the concept.
Clean up the bums lol.

I’ve heard of Re-​use Hawaii, but never had the opportunity to go there. I attended a class making a hanging planter. It was fun and the guys taught some of the basics of using a chop saw and drill.
We needed replacement tiles for our Monier roof and was able to purchase some for only $.50…fifty cents! Most of the things there re re-claimed…which means they were salvaged from somewhere that was being demolished. There are some new items and donated items.
It’s worth checking them out. It is a non-​profit so no sales tax… It’s great that what they are able to re-​use/​re-​cycle in the community is not placed in our local landfill. I would like to learn more about them… and encourage you to check them out!

Re-​Use Hawaii is a great place! The crew are very helpful and friendly. I have been helped directly by Jeffery, Joy, Byron, and Kate and they have all been great! Jeffery is awesome, he has given me assistance pretty much every time I come in and he has remembered my name from day 1. I know that if I need something I can go to him and he will either know himself or be able to find out. Great customer service :) All of the staff seem to engage with the customers and inquire about the project they are working on. They create an atmosphere that is inviting and respectful.
The warehouse itself is full of potential with all of its used products just waiting for the right person to Re-​Use, re-​build, and recycle. When I walk in I usually have a plan but I always tend to wander and start creating new plans and ideas from all of the things I see. The place is a gold mine but you have to be willing to look for what you need.
The place is quite affordable, depending on what you are buying.
If you need cuts made for you the first two are always free and the rest after are $ 1 each.
Overall, I am hooked. This is my go-​to place for supplies and it keeps the creative juices flowing.

I love this place. It’s full of inspiration and the sections are very organized, making it easier to get what you need. Will definitely be going back to shop there a lot more!

I brought my brother to Re-​use Hawaii when he was visiting, thinking he would like it as he’s big on DIY and upcycling, etc. It was fun to look at all the re-​purposable items at the store, and if we weren’t on a time limit, we probably could have spent much more time there.
I didn’t run into too many employees, but I did get asked twice if I was doing ok or if I needed help, so that was nice, and contrary to some other yeeps’ experiences.
The one thing that made me super uncomfortable (and reason fro –2 stars) was the «no cell phone» rules that I read about, and saw a sign at the entrance. I don’ t have to talk on my phone, but there were tons of items that I wanted to photograph for future projects/​ideas, and to send via text to some people. But I was scared of getting yelled at! And maybe more scared about what my big brother would have said back if we did get yelled at :-) I don’t understand the reasoning against cell phone use – is it someone’s tyrannical power issues? It’s not a super quiet location (like for instance, a doctor’s office) where someone talking on a cell phone might be disruptive. I’m not sure when Re-​use Hawaii opened, but really, this is 2015… our phones are practically growing out of our hands. Anyone able to help me understand this rule?
I have a few projects in mind and may venture back to Re-​use Hawaii pretty soon. Maybe I’ll dare to pull out my phone if I need to take a photo or jot down a note. I guess I could argue that it’s not being used as a phone, but just as a camera, notepad, etc…

I still love this place but my second visit wasn’t as happy as my first. I brought my parents who were visiting to grab some unique wood pieces for a bookcase we were making. When we went to check out our cashier made us feel like we were bugging him. Last time we were given five free cuts, this time it would have been two but he made it perfectly clear that needing our wood cut was the biggest inconvenience — we actually took it home and bought a saw to cut it ourself. If my parents weren’t there I would have made them cut it out of spite. I get that it was thirty minutes to closing but doing 5 cuts isn’t going to take up that time.
I’ve been back again since and was greeted with nicer employees who were extremely helpful (like my first experience). I still recommended the establishment and tell all of my friends about it but I definitely recommend not coming close to closing if you need something cut and want to get treated better than an annoyance.

I will never do business here again! The entire staff was rude and offensive. Every time I attempted to interact with an employee I was made to feel I was interrupting and being imposing. The shop is disheveled and doesn’t stock many items of use, sure there’s a lot of stuff, but most of it should have ended up in a dumpster instead. There are several other establishments on island where you can find better recycled materials and receive significantly better service. Don’t waste your time here.

Today was my first time here and I loved it! I was like a kid in a candy store and my creativity was just running wild in my head! The workers are so nice here and definitely offer any help you need. I stopped to chat with one of the workers up front and she was telling me about how this was a non-​profit organization and help to reduce the garbage that is tossed in the dump. This place was very well organized with reasonable prices!
There’s so many amazing things there. Gorgeous tile, a huge assortment of woods, shelves, drawers, and all types of knick-​knacks, door knobs, light bulbs, etc. In the front they have some tables and things that they have made from the repurposed material and you can purchase them or just be inspired by them to make your own!
I’ll definitely be coming back :) Their entrance is right next to JABSOM on Keawe St. in back of the fenced parking lot.

Really wish this place was close to my home!
This is a reuse store with lots of great materials. I stopped in to browse while I had some free time. Its an interesting and open space, with some pretty cool displays. The people were super friendly and helpful. I chatted with a few folks and all seemed very passionate about the mission of the organization. Definitely will be back to see if there are any small, eclectic items to bring home on a future visit.

This place has a lot of potential, literally. You can get so many things for a good price if you have the time and patience that is. There’s a lot of things that are free as well, not always the greatest, but for many people it does work. This warehouse looking place is definitely a great place for people who love to build their own things and do not want to pay someone else to do or the Home Depot price. Some things seem a little pricey, but the fact that they are selling and giving out free things to be able to reuse is great. I have to admit, I do get antsy because my boyfriend enjoys this place a whole lot more than I do, with a few minutes walking I already get tired. I love seeing his face as we check some of the wood they have there because I can see the excitement and his creative mind working. We will definitely be coming here over and over!

I’ve been to this place at least a dozen times now and I have yet to leave with a purchase. I love it! Each time, I go there with a project in mind but as soon as I walk in, my brain turns to mush and I can barely remember what day it is let alone why I’m there.
There is so much stuff in that store, I just wish they’d offer project classes because I’m useless at coming up with my own and even worse at replicating stuff by having to look back at instructions/​recipes every other second.
Amazing place if you know what you’re doing, however.

I’m not a self proclaimed tree hugger or anything, but a place that keeps things out of the landfill by helping other residents reuse them gets my full support. When I was replacing things in my house-​light fixtures/​knobs/​etc I donated my items to Re-​Use Hawaii and could sleep well at night knowing someone great could get them.
Keep in mind that it’s basically a Savers/​Salvation Army for home and garden items before you go. The outside area has all the large items-​I swear there were wooden poles that looked like the telephone poles on the street.
There’s a sign at the entrance that says it’s a cell-​phone free place. They didn’t say anything when I was taking pictures/​texting but I had a chuckle when I walked by the employee room and they are all buried in their phones.
The front has a section with the nicer items. There’s a section with light switches, knobs, hinges, tiles, lighting, jalousies, cabinets, and the list goes on. My favorite part is the the door section along the back wall. I felt like Boo from Monster’s Inc. perusing to find the perfect door.
Your wallet will thank you because you’ll be paying cents on the dollar for anything you buy here. Your conscience will love the responsible choice you made. And the Earth? She’ll be the most appreciative.

This place is awesome, kind of like the Goodwill of Home Depot but smaller and less things but still, it gives me the high walking in here lol.
I do not like walking around a hardware store for 10 minutes because it’s just boring to me. But this place, I give them mad props because they do not bore me.
Star add or deduction breakdown.
Service: +1 Star
Very helpful and always talk stories with you. Have you ever seen anyone work at a hardware store who’s always smiling? Not even Lowes or Home Depots have 90% of their staff smiling in their AC areas.
Location/​Place: +1 Star
Located at a dead end, open space, average parking space. Breezy considering it’s close by the waters and open warehouse.
Price: +3 Stars
Yes, some Unilocalers are saying some are unreasonable but come on guys, it’s usually the type of material, condition, and how long it took then to remove the thing. But I can’t complain anyway since I don’t think I’d be buying the gym floor of Radford high school anytime soon (yes it was for sale). Plus if you ever catch some if the craigslist post, they put up what’s for FREE on there. Prices are crazy cheap if you do your calculation compared to the rest of the hardware stores. So if you think about it, their price range can literally start at $Free.99 :)
I am an avid DIY with my boyfriend and I’m the thrift nazi. Since visiting here multiple times I was able to walk away with many things and made useful free things for home. Such as:
1) An office table made from three free hollow door with the exception of finding our old hinges at home to hold in place.
2) Louvers Lovers that I turned into bins to hold dog toys and decorative crates that would probably be sold at Pottery barn or Anthropology. Attached it together using carpenters glue.
3) A perfectly painted with gloss coat 1X3 wood that was for FREE and turned it into a hat holder in our closet.
4) $ 0.10 each tiles that i turned into a set of four tile cup coasters.
5) $ 1.00 each hooks that became my bag holders in the closet.
You cannot go wrong with this place, next time you have a little project to do, stop by here first. Or if you’re on a super tight budget like me but love to DIY, decorate, a tree hugger, and spend numerous hours on pintrest then this place is for you.

Re-​use is one of my favorite places to go. I’ve read some of these reviews and can agree with many of them.
If you are a thrifter, which my wife and I are, you’ll be better prepared for this store. You need to dig and look around. Get your hands dirty and move things around to find what you want. Some items are overpriced, but then you will find tons of deals. You also need to have some creative vision to see something out of nothing.
Also, like a thrift shop, you need to come frequently and see what’s new. Like Goodwill, the best stuff and best values get snapped up quickly. They will often even have items which are free to take!
I have not dealt with any bad employees like some other reviewers have. However, I also went in with low expectations since it is an NPO. Don’t go there expecting to shoot in and shoot out (if you’re buying or donating).
I’ve bought unfinished wood to make a rustic shelf, a cabinet door to make a tabletop, and an old window frame to frame and mount a map for the bedroom. The windows are only $ 5 per pane regardless of size! I had been looking for weeks to find one which was large enough, but finally found it! I just wish I had more tools so I could make more stuff!