Tin Can Mailman

I recently visited and did some shopping at The Tin Can Mailman, Honolulu. What a delightful store! The selection is expertly curated and well represented. Christopher Oswalt is a wealth of information and is happy to share. I wanted to buy so many more items, but sadly I did too much shopping before my visit to his shop-too much surf apparel, etc. I was able to satisfy my personal souvenir shopping, however. Again, I cannot recommend visiting this store enough. The prices are fair, and items on offer span all price points. I am planning another trip to the North Shore early next year, and will definitely take some time to visit and shop again-I'll limit my surf purchases, so that I have more to spend at Tin Can Mailman. Thank you for your dedication to Hawaiian vintage and your keen knowledge about your fantastic finds on offer!

This place is nicely decorated but insanely priced. Shirts are sold for $200 which I found exactly the same for 19.90 in another vintage store, and old photos are priced between 25-60 and they are not special at all! I found beautiful old photos just at Hound&Quail for 2 bucks.

Went in to look around cause I was looking for a specific item and there were only two customers. I was followed around by the heavyset man looking over my shoulder yet he didn't follow the Caucasian lady. Maybe he thought I didn't have money to spend. His answers were short and I felt it rude like singled out. It doesn't matter now cause I'll never go back there and I spent my money elsewhere.

The gentleman behind the counter was more than helpful and accommodating. He even tested the product in-store before I bought a particular bulb. However, there was no dedicated parking available, so you are at the mercy of oneway street parking on. Some prices were a little high, but reasonable when totalled.

Small shop with some very interesting items. A little high on prices, but I understand, they have to make money to keep the doors open.

Awesome stuff to go through. Unique, interesting, vintage, classic... Yes it's expensive, but not outrageous. There's cool historic stuff in there!

Was disappointed in Oahu antique shops. Tin can is basically a closet in the middle of china town. We paid for parking and walked to a very small shop mostly books. Nothing found here.

Weird mean guy little crazy seek mental help cool store tho

This place is so cool! They have a little bit of everything and even if you don't think you're into antiques, you should check it out. There's something there that will catch your attention, guarantee it. As a history buff, I really enjoyed looking through the old photos and maps their had, as well as the movie posters and figurines. Go check it out!

Great vintage and antique shop, helpful and knowledgeable staff! Well organized with a great selection of Hawaiiana. Highly recommended!

Do you like vintage Hawaiian antiques? Do you like small independent stores? Do you like vintage art and books? This store is packed full in its tiny footprint of a shop in the heart of the downtown Chinatown area. Call before you visit, because occasionally the shop is not open during its advertised hours.

2 star for the worker. 5 star for the store. The store is full of wonderful Hawaiian collectibles. Lots of books, Hawaiian shirts and ephemera. Some really cool stuff. The guy working there was rude. My husband took a football bobble head off a shelf and as he was starting to put it back he quickly told him that he would put it back himself. My husband asked if he wasn't supposed to take things down and he said, "you can take things down and look at whatever you want but putting things back is how things get broken". Okay, not too friendly. We looked around for a bit, but we were afraid to touch anything else! Then my husband asked if there were any more shops around. Well that was the wrong question to ask! He says, "when people ask me that question it immediately offends me" He then proceeds to lecture us on how there was a few other high end shops nearby but if we were looking for a mall with several dealers that oahu doesn't have any. He said that Oahu is full of apartments and there are no estate sales for them to get stuff from so what you see on the island is brought in from other place. Also lectured us on how Oahu only started getting populated in the 1970's so there wasn't many true antiques on the island. We shared with him that we were antique dealers from WA State and he told us, "it's different here" So, if you can put up with being talked down to and a staff member with an attitude then it's a cute shop to look in. Just Don't Touch Anything!!!

I think I read about this place in Honolulu magazine when they were talking about some small businesses in Chinatown. This place is full of old Hawaiiana. It has tons of memorabilia and vintage Hawaii items. What made me want to venture here was my friend had gotten some old black and white photos of Hawaii back in the day from here. I decided to check this store out. I mean who wouldn't want to check out a store with a catchy name like Tin can Mailman. They have metered parking in front which you could get lucky and snag or park in the Municipal parking that's on Beretania St, immediately right after Nuuanu Ave. It is very convenient and parking rates are reasonable. It is is a fairly short walk. Make sure to check their hours, they have limited store hours and have by appt only times too. The place is small and crammed full of old Hawaii. The owner is very nice and friendly. He is also very knowledgeable. All the photographs I asked him, he could tell me where and approximately when the photo was taken. There is tons of stuff. There is vintage clothing, jewelry, books, brochures, postcards, knick knacks, etc. The items are a bit pricey but that's what you would expect at a store like this. There is a great variety of items to look at from etched vases to old brochures of Matson Lines. It was a very interesting experience to see how old Hawaii was compared to this day and age. If you are a tourist, you can get a unique piece to remember your trip to Hawaii. Or if you are a local, you should still stop in and get a piece of old Hawaii to appreciate. I obviously was not born during old Hawaii times but this place still gave me a very nostalgic feeling. No matter how much downtown changes, as long as this place is there, there will always be a part of old downtown Hawaii there. ^_^*~

Wow lots of memorabilia of Old Posters, Postcards, Plates, Brochures, Aloha Shirts, and other Knick Knacks I was impressed of the nice display of things to browse through I have passed the store on many occasions on my way to lunch so my curiosity got me and I had to go in. I'm glad I did as I will be going back to browse some of their old pictures and stuff to maybe start a small collection.

It was a really neat experience being able to see and look at the history of Hawaii through images and posters and all things vintage! The owner was really nice and helpful in pointing us in the direction of what we may have been searching for and you could tell he takes his time caring for the artifacts of the early to late 1900's and even some treasure from the 1800's. I really appreciated this experience and hopefully in the near future I'll be able to come and visit this hidden treasure in Honolulu again!

Have been coming to this place for years and they always have unique items that are fairly priced. Come here for a special gift for a loved one or treat yo self. There are things here that one one else will have. I've gotten a kimono, muumuu dress, vintage prints, and more. The gentleman who runs the shop is beyond knowledgeable and kind. Definitely stop in for a blast from the past, beautiful nostalgia, and a fun time.

For the person who loves listening to Don Tiki, has the whole tiki bar setup in their homes complete with tiki mugs, pictures of Don Ho, and wooden tikis .... OR those, like me, who appreciate vintage Hawaiiana/Hawaiian collectibles and the styling/decor/design of a long ago era when Hawai'i was a recently christened U.S. state and there was the lingering allure of tropical white sandy beaches emblazoned in the minds of people across America. Do acid etched vases by Frank Oda/House of Pua tickle your pickle? Or would a porcelain clothed hula girl from Treasure Craft of Maui be more like it? A Ming's brooch or necklace or more? How about some ancients etchings of Hawaiians/life in Hawai'i done by a European explorer whose body was lost at sea shortly after he drew them? Dorothy Okumoto white ceramic porcelain pieces, automated hula girl lamps that sway their hips from side to side, Kimo Nani 3-D velvet & ceramic paintings, glass floats, John Kelly menus, etc. If you're an avid collector of vintage Hawaiiana and artifacts, then this place is worthy of a look. Even if you're not, it's just fun to come in and browse through! The two owners moved their shop from Kaua'i to here several years ago and word has been slowly getting out about them. They were featured on a brief segment for Hawaiian Airlines and I had to go down there to visit. http://www.hawaiian-skies.com/blog/20100526/discovering-hawaiiana Their store name has a cool ring to it and I've passed by their store quite a few times late at night in Chinatown (before going to a club or after I leave some event down there).

VINTAGE, VINTAGE, VINTAGE!!!! This place is full of old Hawaiiana. It has tons of memorabilia and vintage Hawaii items. If you want mass produced trinkets stay away! If you want TRUE Hawaiiana this is your place! The owner knows so much about the islands and the stuff in the store it's great, you will at least walk away with a great story or two! From a simple napkin or Aloha Shirt to Dolls and Pin ups! you will defiantly find something! Remember what you are paying for is the real deal as is the owner!

This is the best curated Hawaiiana collectible store. There isn't a lot of room so they make up for it in quality. Records, fabrics, posters, ceramics, home furnishings, clothes...it's a fascinating place. Prices are high but big city rents and I doubt you're going to find that stuff elsewhere on the island. Etsy and ebay with really high shipping and chances of damage yes, Honolulu no. If you love MCM Hawaiiana, just go and enjoy. The only downfall is the owner is kinda mean. I was trying to bond with him over similar ceramic pieces we owned and he snapped I owned a shoddy homemade version. It was so rude it cracked me up. Ironically I have a degree from an arts & crafts college (can you believe that it's possible?) and could have told him his piece actually appears to be suffering from thixotropy issues in the flesh glaze with uniform color separation. Maybe a foreign substance introduced to the glaze or someone forgot to mix before painting after lunch. I don't know, to me this world is about the stories and the imperfect beauty. Nothing looks perfect when you're 60+ years old anyway, right? He made it up to me when I showed some interest in lamps. If I lived on Oahu, I'd be a fan and a customer. After I taught him something about ceramics and manners of course.

Such a cool store... filled with vintage EVERYTHING. If you want to experience a blast from the past, be sure to visit. I bought a really cool vintage book from the statehood era. Will definitely visit again on our next trip.

Another great vintage-antique store! If you want anything Hawaii related then this store is for you! It's a great little shop that offers a wide variety goods like posters, suitcases, Hawaii goods, etc.. Its such a neat little shop to check out, If your in the area.

Great find located in the heart of Chinatown. While slightly overwhelming at first, you are instantly in awe of the amazing Hawaiian memorabilia available and even better are the affordable prices! Chris, the manager, is super friendly and very helpful and knowledgable in all areas of Hawaiian collectables. I highly recommend for all antique enthusiasts and kitschy Tiki fans!

What a fascinating place filled with Hawaiian history. Everything is so well organized and presented really, in a way, that's so pleasing to the eye- particularly for a very small shop. You can learn a lot here, take your time, and ask questions, they are happy to educate!

what a place! Chris,the store manager knows his stuff! A must-stop for Hawaiiana Antiques in Chinatown.