Maui Friends of the Library

I’ve been a customer at the Pu’unene store for many years and though it’s gone through a few transitions its sleepy, hidden-​treasure vibe has never changed. When this one opened I wondered if they’d be able to maintain the intimate sense of small local used book store or if it’d be slick and flashy and mall-​like. Happily, it’s comfy and inviting. The stores are both staffed by volunteers who are friendly and helpful without being intrusive. The selection is quite broad and varied, and the books are at bargain prices. The purchases are in support of the library system, so it’s a very good cause you’re supporting. I wish more people would take time to read, and encourage their children to develop a love of reading as well. I love books! :)

Wonderful resource. Great selection. Not just beach reads — real books. And the super friendly, helpful staff makes visiting a joy. The prices are so reasonable and you can find really wonderful books here.

This Maui Friends of the Library is much better than the one in Lahaina! This store is a lot bigger and the organization is way better.
I picked up The Art of Racing in the Rain for only $ 3 in pristine condition here. The prices here are very reasonable. $ 1-​$ 5 for books.

Decent selection, great prices. Picked up books about the Johnstown flood and the supreme court for $ 4 each. Would have been 3 times as much in a used bookstore in Seattle. Didn’t look at fiction, but that section was the largest.

I had only previously been to the Pu’unene location, which is an adventure in itself. To find the same deals in the comfort of a mall was a pleasant surprise.
MFOL is a group that sells used books and you could not ask for a better place. The prices here are ridiculous, running from a quarter (most small paperbacks) on up to a few dollars (recent hardbacks). They have everything from fiction to non-​fiction, children to adult, romance to sci-​fi/​fantasy. This particular location is about a size of the old Waldenbooks or Crown Books back in the day.
One thing to note, this place is good to go if you want to peruse. If you have a specific book in mind, understand two things: they don’t guarantee having anything (especially recent stuff) and they are not exactly organized on the shelves. The books are put into broad categories (fiction, young adult, Hawai‘ian topics, etc.), but beyond that this location doesn’t put them into much (not even alphabetical by author). So, the Ka’ahumanu location is best for browsers just looking for something that catches their eye.
So, if you don’t feel like driving through the sugar cane factory and fields to a dusty location, you now have the option of just stopping at the local mall in Kahului. Get on out there, grab some books, and read!

This store is located near Sears in Queen Kaahumanu Center. It has a similar selection of books like the Puunene store, only with a bigger footprint and air conditioning. Unlike the Puunene store, this one has new books, mostly from local Hawaiian publishers. The store seems to be ever changing as more stock comes in and the footprint of the shelves change. It’s kinda neat to see what comes in, and what people give away. Prices tend to be more than the Puunene store in some areas: VHS tapes are a quarter at Puunene, QKC is 50 cents. Books also seem to suffer from «grand illusions» in price; priced at $ 5, only worth maybe a fraction of that price. Even some books that I like to pickup have been jacked-​up in price worse than the one in Puunene. At least the books here are more «well protected» from the elements than the Puunene store, but it still doesn’t justify the jacked prices.
The staff is good. Inventory seems to stagnate; they have books that are destined to sit forever (they have stacks of Algebra and Math textbooks for example), and I keep finding the same tired old books in sections that I pick clean of wants for myself. Some sections deserve more proper sorting, shelving, and labeling; I could swear some of my more favorite topics either don’t exist anymore, or was unceremoniously absorbed into other sections making them harder to find. They could use periodic sales and markdowns to help flush out junk stock that only takes up shelf space.