Ben Franklin Crafts

They’ve got a great selection for anyone who loves to craft and do stuff yourself.
Tons of ideas right as you walk in. Premade and they’ll help you if you need anything. Lots of different house paint to choose from. Tools, outdoor stuff, build-​it-​yourself furnitures.
So many different aisles to choose from when trying to get your own stuff going. A little on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for.

Google a place on Kauai and you may find yourself on a wild goose chase (like the couple I ran into once looking for the TCBY that had closed two years prior). Finding myself in need of some basic craft supplies in town one day I pulled up the address for Ben Franklin. Easy enough, I thought. Fifteen minutes, three turnarounds, and one trip down to Kalapaki later I felt foolish and chalked up my empty-​handedness to Ben Franklin’s not existing any more. A friend laughed at me a few days later. «It’s IN the Ace Hardware!» she said, between laughs.
Sure enough, as you pass the Ace Hardware on Rice Street there’s additional wording «and Crafts» in the familiar Ben Franklin font. The store itself is strangely divided in two. To the left: crafts. Right: hardware. Venture across a main aisle and you’re all too aware that you won’t find any rubber stamps amidst the metal tubing. But maybe the metal tubing could find a place in a craft project???
The Ben Franklin side of the store stocks a selection of artificial flowers, lei-​making supplies (thread, yarns, how-​to books) front and center, paints, beads, and other craft miscellany I thought I’d left behind on the mainland. Besides the leis, other local touches include Hawaiian-​produced rubber stamps (a rubber stamp of a spam musubi, your name in Hawaiian as a rubber stamp), and more party decorating supplies then you can shake a stick at. Also on offer is a die-​cutting machine for your individual use — the staff will gladly die cut small favor boxes or lettering on request — definitely a feature you won’t see at any Michael’s!
For a craft supply store on Kauai, I was actually impressed at the stock at Ben Franklin. I missed the Martha Stewart section, but it definitely rivals Michael’s and AC Moore in variety any day. The staff is helpful and there are regular demos and classes to sign up for. While prices aren’t rock-​bottom I found a 40% coupon (for a single item) in the newspaper ad, which helps.
Just make sure you’re looking for the Ace Hardware when you go to find Ben Franklin Crafts.