Julie H.
Yelp
Requests may be the last independent music store on Maui. Where there was once at least a semblance of options for music purchases - Tropical Disc, Tempo Music, the odd shop upcountry or in Lahaina - now there is only Requests (or, if you must, Borders). That such a store can still exist amazes me, and gives me hope that not all of Maui will be lost to larger mainland-based chains.
The store doesn't look like much from the outside - a small sign announces its presence, the larger, more colorful graffiti-inspired signage a victim of Hawaii's anti-billboard laws - and inside is not much more inviting to the casual shopper. Religious icons line the walls and nooks and crannies above your head, juxtaposed with the Bob Marley and concert posters that are tacked up underneath layers of dust. Not a single surface is clear - cds, records, dvds, concert, and other paraphernalia cover the tables, countertops, and, in some corners of the store, even the floors. The owner is almost always found at a counter in the back of the store, rifling through records or cds (and in all my years of patronizing the store I've yet to exchange a word with him, my last visit found him nearly mute and either ignorant or unhelpful with simple questions about records or prices) and I can't imagine their catalog is anything but organized chaos.
Still, Requests is a treasure-trove. Used CDs, new CDs, records, and an assortment of music and movies on DVDS, t-shirts, and assorted smoking paraphernalia are all things they stock. New CDs are organized by category - reggae, hip-hop, jazz, world, soundtracks, pop/rock - both old and new selections are represented well. Reggae section is deeper.
You won't find many LPs on the main floor - a rack or two of new releases and DJ-relevant records, and a few other boxes on the floor by t-shirts - but ask to be directed downstairs - all the way to the back of the store and into the basement (they'll turn the light on for you) - is a near library of records, likely once cataloged but has since seen better days: stacks of records are strewn across the floor, shelves have fallen to disarray. If you're a record-head, however, the alphabetizing is still largely intact and you can surely spend hours sifting through the stacks. (At least that's why my companion did; I left him on two separate occasions in the basement for hours on end). You'll find good deals - purchase20 or more records they're $1 each, less than 20 will set you back $2/record.
Pricing on CDs is competitive - no rock-bottom chain store discounts here, but you can certainly find a solid array of new releases and feel good about supporting a local business. The staff (owner aside) is friendly and consistently helpful, offering to order CDs they didn't have in stock and knowledgeable about their music and stock.
I have a huge soft spot in my heart for Requests. As a music-starved pre-teen I would convince my parents to make a special trip so I could buy bootleg CDs (which they, sadly, no longer sell) and chat with Jay, one of the former employees, about the Smashing Pumpkins. More than a decade later I'm still happy to stop in, chat with the employees, and find much of the same. Here's hoping the store will stick around for another decade.
