da Shop, a bookstore founded by indie publisher Bess Press, opened this week in Kaimuki in Honolulu, Hawaii, Honolulu magazine reported. The store held its grand opening on March 27, with an event featuring Patagonia Surfing Ambassador Liz Clark, who discussed her memoir, Swell: A Sailing Surfer's Voyage of Awakening, which Patagonia will publish next week.
In addition to carrying national bestsellers and a wide selection of literature for young people, da Shop specializes in books from Hawaiian small presses, including the University of Hawai'i Press, Bishop Museum Press and Kamehameha Publishing, as well as Hawai'i and Oceania classics. There are plans to host everything from storytime sessions to film screenings, and da Shop also offers a digital shopping database, through which customers can purchase titles and have them shipped directly to their homes.