What are the ABC stores and do they have any in Maui?

ABC stores have a variety of sundries that appeal to tourists at fairly reasonable price. We bought hats and pareos at one store in Whalers Village in Kaanapali.

In my youth in Illinois, it stood for "Alcohol Beverage Control" and they were liquor stores run by the state, in states where it couldn't be sold privately. Know nothing about Hawaii.

Here's their web site. You can find Maui locations depending on where you'll be staying. http://www.abcstores.com/about_abc/index.jsp

The ABC store is your best friend in Maui and all of Hawaii !! (food, gifts, beach supplies, beer, liquor, drug store items, etc)

gocats2002 - I'm with you! I read this post and immediately thought "liquor store". I am from Virginia, and that's what they are to me!

Karen

Suggest you avoid the ABC Gum:
Already Been Chewed!

ABC stores are great for us tourists in Hawaii - they have everything - souviners, sundries, film (pretty pricey, though), suncreen, phone cards, post cards - the list goes on and on. And they are EVERYWHERE! They also have a promotion going on now where you save your receipts and once they total $100 (not long if you're there very long)you get a free mug or something. One less souvenir to buy ....

To really experience ABC stores, you have to visit Waikiki where they are literally on every block... sometimes two on the same block. It's crazy, but they do well. They are a cross between a souvenir and a convenience store.

However, on Maui they are not everywhere. There are 10 of them on the entire island of Maui compared to 38 in Waikiki alone.

When my husband and I went to Maui, we lovingly referred to ABC as "A Bunch of Crap". They've got a lot of stuff that you may need, but a lot of tacky souviners, too. Come to think of it, I actually bought a hawaiian print dress at one. I guess you really CAN get everything there.

East Coasters will find it humorous that on a recent trip to the outer banks I was excited to see an ABC store - thinking it was the hawaiian chain. I had recently been to Vegas where I saw one inside the Alladin mall.

What a surprise I got when it turned out to be a nasty little liquor store - really bare minimum shelving and booze stacked to the rafters.

I was really surprised that liquor couldn't be bought at grocery stores like it is in California - yet North Carolina has the "Brew Thru" where you can buy beer without leaving your car. I wonder which buying laws are more prevalent throughout the country.

I heart ABC Stores. They really do have everything. Sliced pineapple for breakfast, beer (and an opener) for lunch, etc. It's a beautiful thing.

I was in Munich when this guy, upon learning I was from Hawaii, exclaimed with his German accent, "ooh! Hawaii! Do you know ABC stores? This aloha shirt is from ABC store! And look at my keychain! You see, it says ABC Store." It was so hilarious! Of all the things this guy could remember of his Hawaii vacation, the one thing that stood out was ABC Stores.

Our tour driver from the airport in Waikiki told us ABC stood for "about every corner" and he wasn't kidding!