The King's Guard Museum located within the King's Village Shopping complex housed the King's Guard memorabilia for about three years. it was due for a cleaning and upgrade. these items include the pictorial history, uniforms, trophies, etc. that tell the Guards' story. i decided that during this reorganization of the Guard memorabilia, there was an opportunity to share Hawaiian souvenirs from my private collection. there is no assemblage of this type or volume of specific pieces on display that i know of. Many of the items i collected were part of the souvenir trade for our visitor industry. People snapped them up, took them home as gifts as a reminder of their Hawaiian experience. it is fortunate that these pieces are finding their way back home. There are many collectors but few have the opportunity to exhibit their collections. they usually end up in boxes and stored away. the most difficult part of setting up this display was what items to select. So i decided to do a presentation of what i felt were popular of Hawaiian souvenirs from the past. Usually the fun stuff that you didn't think so much about back then but are now sought after by collectors today. Most are like me, just wanting to take a trip down memory lane about growing up in Hawaii. When i find the items, it brings back memories: where i was, who i was with, what we were doing….the aromas of different restaurants, the personalities and celebrities of the different Waikiki shows, the scent of flower leis at the luaus. Many of these places are now gone. Finding and touching these items instantly transport me back in time faster than any technology that we have today. I started collecting simple items that i remember while growing up. i pick up an aloha shirt here and a soda bottle there…and before you know it, i was going to garage sales, swap meets, antique shops, and collector shows. Could this be compulsive obsession? Yes! Many boxes of items have now accumulated at my home. As you become more passionate what you collect, you begin to refine your detective, scientific, and instinctive qualities. Your skills in researching missing pieces of your collection sharpen dramatically. Your senses are always on alert! the smallest of details are not taken lightly. it is always a learning experience. As i was setting up this display and discovering many of the boxes that were ‘lost', it is like opening a time capsule! Only one third of my collection is on display. i wish i had more space in the museum to share larger portions of specific items. But i think we have a good assortment. i think the coolest items are the fun stuff like old Hawaiian matchbooks. they were the business cards of yesterday. A lot of the artwork is beautiful. they are small but include important information like the addresses, phone numbers, and the type of business. Without them, i would have never known that those places ever existed. i have hundreds of matchbooks in my collection and file them alphabetically. it is one of the resources i use to research places that are gone. 


The rarest items are some of the old tiki mugs and glasses from around the world. Tiki restaurants and bars were very popular in the 1930's up through the 1960's. With the help of individuals like Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic's, Hawaii became famous through the exotic drinks that were served in these mugs. It is one of the hottest collectible items. Paul Naki 


The oldest items on display are old beer and soda bottles. A lot of people may recognize familiar brand names like 7-Up or Canada Dry but have no idea that they were processed and bottled here in Hawaii. the rarest items are some of the old tiki mugs and glasses from around the world. tiki restaurants and bars were very popular in the 1930's up through the 1960's. With the help of individuals like Don the Beachcomber and trader Vic's, Hawaii became famous through the exotic drinks that were served in these mugs. it is one of the hottest collectible items. i have been noticing lately quite a few magazine articles and books on this topic. the latest one i have seen is this month's issue of the Aloha Airlines magazine. The most expensive items in the collection are the ceramic figurines and decanters. Many of them are very fragile. When the earthquake hit on Sunday, October 15th, my first concern was to make sure my family was safe. My attention then shifted to the museum. With so many ceramic pieces, i expected the worse. Waikiki had no electricity and so we could not get the steel roll up door open. the wait was painful! When the electricity was restored, i rushed to the museum. to my amazement many of the items had shifted but there was no damage! Nowadays i like assembling items that are related in some way. i may find a menu from an old restaurant and a few years later a matchbook and napkin is found. When they are put together, they present a clearer picture of what was once there. the best qualities of collecting for me is meeting people and sharing stories and experiences. i listen as they recall faded details and walk with them once more down their memory road. Mahalo nui loa to the following individuals for their support for which this display would not be possible - Albert Keliikuloa, of Azabu USA; Gene Gelfo, president of the Merchants' trust Association; and the management and merchants of King's Village. (Paul naki is the present director of the King's Guard Drill team. they perform the Changing of the Guard ceremony nightly at 6:15 pm at King's Village. their 19th century period uniforms combined with exciting precision rifle drills make it a unique experience for spectators.) (this display should be in place for the next 7-8 months. the museum hours for now are daily from 5:30 pm to 10:00 pm) 


Here is a list of items on display: Vintage tiki mugs • Airline memorabilia (travel bags, brochures, etc.) • Primo beer memorabilia • Aloha shirts • Hawaiian liquor decanters • Souvenir wood products from the 1940's through 1960's • Original Coco Joe's, Hawaiian island Products, and Poly Art souvenirs-1960's, 1970's • Old Hawaiian themed books • Oil paintings • Hard to find prints • Ceramic figurines • Frank Schirman figurines •Marwal busts • etched glassware • Hawaiian restaurant ware: tepco, Winfield • Don Blanding plates • Old restaurant menus, napkins, plates • Old matchbooks • POGs • Old record albums • Cocktail glasses, swizzle sticks rose and Crown memorabilia.