A Botanical Boutique In Kakaako
Courtney Monahan offers plants, design and quality at Paiko Leah Friel photo
Interior design takes on a new and decidedly green twist at Paiko. The botanical boutique run by president and creative director Tamara Rigney specializes in all things related to plants, flowers and design.
After some time as a landscape architect, Rigney, an Aina Haina native, began doing floral design for clients in Waikiki. After admiring the many retail flower/plant shops in cities such as New York, Chicago and San Francisco, Rigney decided to bring this botanical concept to Hawaii and opened the doors to Paiko with the help of her friend Courtney Monahan.
“Paiko is something that just evolved from our ideas, so there isn’t another business I know of here in Hawaii to compare us to,” Rigney says.
“We welcome anyone who appreciates plants, design and quality. We have a lot of people who come through here for plants for their house or office and for gifts for any special occasion where something thoughtful and unique is called for.”
Located at 675 Auahi St. in the SALT complex in Kakaako, Paiko supports local farmers and artists as much as possible. The store offers a curated selection of freshly cut flowers, plants, seeds, container gardens and terrariums, as well as a plethora of unique vases, books, cards and other garden-themed gifts. Paiko also hosts hands-on workshops, spreading knowledge of design, horticulture and sustainable living. Recent workshops have focused on creating succulent gardens and hand-tied bouquets.
“Our business philosophy is to always have fun and look at everything as an opportunity or a lesson,” Rigney states. “Given that neither Courtney nor I have a retail background, Paiko has definitely been a learning process. But we find that as long as we work really hard, stay true to our design aesthetic, offer exceptional customer service and stick to our ethos of supporting local artists and farmers, we are moving in the right direction as a company.”
Everything on display at Paiko is for sale, and Rigney and her staff are eager to advise customers on the perfect plant for their space.
“We are always happy to help people select cut flowers from our floral display, then elegantly wrap them with our signature butcher paper and ribbon. We also are currently working on composing a brochure for corporate gifts. A lot of local businesses find that our creations are a great way to represent their company,” Rigney says, adding that she also does floral design for a limited number of weddings and special events each year.
Rigney and her team are relishing in Paiko’s continued success, but all the while looking toward the future. Currently, Rigney is focused on launching a program to offer fresh flower gift boxes available for shipment to the Mainland.
For more information on Paiko, visit paikohawaii.com, and find them on facebook.com/Paiko.Hawaii and Instagram@paikohawaii.
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