We have several topics in this update, now more than halfway through our sixth year in business, and it is tough to decide what to write about first!

The last day for you to purchase the most incredible acai bowl on Earth will be Sunday, May 28th. As mentioned here last month, the Sunset Café will end their operation this month. We have found a new operator for the space and will share more about what’s to come next time. Jo and Rod have been amazing at The Collective — we’re sad to see them go!!

We learned last month that the Pacific Art & Ink Expo (PIAE) will not be held this year, but is brewing up a fantastic return in 2024, all systems GO. Follow @hawaiitattooexpo for updates.

Ty has been hosting Flash on the last weekend of the month beginning in February. She is at it again for a single-day event on May 28th for 10 lucky clients. Follow Ty @tylandia.art for details on how to be part of her nature-based tattoo world!

Until next time, be nice to each other. 🙂

We are searching for a new cafe operation, as the incredible Sunset Cafe team are relocating to live elsewhere, and will be closing down in the coming weeks. All involved are grateful for our partnership!! It has been a mutually beneficial, friendly, and delicious business relationship.

We are continuing our music program but are equally interested in welcoming other talented performers: hula, martial arts, dance, comedians (clean acts only please) and welcome vendors to hold pop-ups on our lanai from time to time — especially new businesses looking for a jumpstart in public visibility. Show up with your cello, bring your guitar, etc.

We’re very proud of the growth of the business, and the expansion of the careers of all the tattoo artists. We continue to foster the concept of MUDITA — a sanskrit word meaning approximately “the deriving of happiness from the success of others”. We root for each other in our shop, and this carries over to the business neighbors around us and across the windward side. Business is hard. We want everyone to succeed. That’s the...

If you have been looking for a fresh, healthy, colorful option for your midday meal, we can share proudly that the new Sunset Café at The Collective is worth a visit! Take a look at their page to learn more and see the entire menu; their food is oozing vitamins and minerals! It has been a thrill to see the faces of the neighborhood come back into the shop, having discovered the incredible Sunset Café menu. Acai Bowls, Smoothies, Salads, Sandwiches, Coffee == all equals YUM!

The Flash event in January was a success, as we saw nearly 100 clients getting Friday the 13th themed tattoos. Thank yous go out to the several local businesses who participated by donating to our Flash goody-bags. Not sure what we’ll do next, as the calendar is low on Friday the 13th’s for a while, but stay tuned to our business IG @thecollectivegallery_llc and the tattoo IG @thecollectivekailua for posts on upcoming events.

The shop has welcomed two stellar tattoo artist in the last couple of months, namely Robert Bennett and Josh Flinn. Both of these gents have joined us seamlessly, and...

We enjoyed hosting Liilii Donuts from May to December 2022, and wish Travis and Erika every success in their future ventures. The cafe begins anew, again, tomorrow. We welcome Jo and Rod, who are bringing their loyal following from their Sunset Bowls Hawaii food truck operation to The Collective. Introducing the SUNSET CAFE with its grand opening weekend now upon us.

We haven’t stopped offering complimentary live music for the general public during our events as well as any of the market days across the street. Please see our 2023 lineup and a list of the performers who helped showcase our business in 2022. We are deep into our third year of giving musicians a quaint spot to play, to try new material, to connect with the public, and to perpetuate our commitment to art.

The Collective has contracted back into a single space, as we conceded the second suite in September 2022. Camaraderie in the shop...

Spring has sprung, and we are lined up for a great season of action at The Collective. The “Live Music at The Mural” series been going strong since October 2020, and we continue to feature the same friendly service across all parts of the business. We are hiring

The tattoo shop has added Jamie Hidaro as a full-time artist, and has an incredible array of artists coming to guest during the next 4 months. We are hiring full-time artists as of this posting, and are looking forward to our FULL-SPEED, BIG-TIME FRIDAY THE 13TH FLASH next month! Friday the 13th comes one time in 2022, and we’re ready for it. 10 artists, 12 hours, and YOU! We’ll put up the eventbrite link on April 30th!

All for now. Be nice to yourself and others.

Two years have passed since we hosted BLACK FRIDAY BINGO in the lounge. I think we had 25-30 people, a bunch of BYOB, and a great time! Times sure have changed.

Big News! WE’RE expanding into a second suite at our current location, adding 4 complete stations in an adjacent space within our building. Lisa is getting lots of interested artists reaching out to join us. We intend to remain the same with a concierge-like cafe as our entry point, and then 10-11 stations for tattoos. Our lease begins this coming week and we’re nearly outfitted for the opening of the new space.

We hope to see lots of people at all the December markets, including three Aloha Home Markets on December 5, 12, and 19, and also two Lokahi Kailua Markets at a special 4:30-8:30 window on December 4 and 18. We’ll keep on bringing you live music on Sundays, with TRISHNALEI headlining on December 5th, DNA_MUSE on December 12th, and our fave loctician/tattooist/painter/songwriter Jenuine Leigh on December 19th. Bring a lawnchair, bring a friend, and come enjoy free sidewalk music with us!

Several tattoo shop personnel additions to report regarding this most optimistic month of the year: YES-VEMBER!

• We’ve welcomed “Sprig” as a tattoo apprentice. Sprig has been awesome right out of the gate, especially laying all of the 100+ stencils on Halloween Flash Friday. Sprig is working on elementary designs and is available to work simple pieces for tips with shop supervsion (@scavengertattoo)
• This week we’ll add the very talented Bethany Georges to the tattoo shop, as she puts the finishing touches on her apprenticeship. Already a renown local artist, Bethany produced an art exhibit currently in progress as Windward Community College, and will display art at The Collective this month. (@bgeorgesart)
• Visiting Guest Artists!!!
  • FLOR & FABIO (Argentina) here now and through December 26th!
  • LAU MESTRE (Spain) arrives this month through February! (@laumestreart)
  • Drew and Dom (California) checking in for three days in early December...
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BOO!!! It’s Hallow-tober!!!!! BIGGGG MONTH COMING UP!!

FLOR and FABIO return from Argentina for their 4th guest stint at The Collective in the last two years. See the Tattoo Artists page and scroll to see some of their work. They have a very motivated following here on Oahu, and will book very quickly now that the word is out. Estimated arrival October 15th. Book directly with F&F using IG DM.

On Friday, October 29th, we are hosting a supremely awesome Halloween Flash Friday tattoo event, with the artists available from 10am through 10pm. We’ll reveal the flash sheets in a couple days, and begin taking deposits to hold a time-slot. We’re also booking musicians to play outside by the mural, and will very likely have some more fun action in store for you. Stay tuned on IG for updates.

We’re approved to be the Support Kitchen for Li’ili’i Donuts beginning October 18th, and we are elated to welcome Travis and Erika to our family. We’ll get to selling 4-packs of their...

Thanks to everyone who came in for last month’s Friday the 13th Flash event. We had a great time doing it, and will put together another one for our favorite time of year: HALLOWEEN. Friday October 29th we’re having a Halloweed-themed day for Flash Tattoos. We’ll keep you posted @thecollectivekailua as that event comes into form.

We’re working to grow our variety of Gluten-Free treats in the cafe. This week we begin pairing up with Aloha Bites, selling their 6-packs of colorful, decorative, and delicious mini-cupcakes (GF). Soon, we’ll also host Li’ili’i Donuts, which have been a sensation at local markets. So watch for posts about these new arrivals @thecollectivekailuacafe

Live Music at the Mural on Sundays keeps rolling along — this month includes a Saturday show featuring DNA_MUSE. Please see the live music page I put together here. Multi-talented house tattooist Jen performs every third Sunday.

To begin the process of booking with a tattoo artist, the best...

Officially 2 and a HALF years into this store, so happy 2.5-th! Everybody’s been through a lot so you don’t need me telling you our story. We’re moving forward. We’re about now and what’s next. This means we are focused on steadiness and consistency in the cafe’, our blossoming Sunday music scene, and the tattoo shop flow.

• In the Cafe we’ve become steady providers of the most incredible breakfast burritos and calzones in town. One Love Bakery has been nailing it — we’d put these up against any BB in town for value and quality. Additionally, we’ve welcomed Skyler and Tonia to our cafe team as we expand hours in July to 8am-4pm daily.
• The SUNDAY MUSIC SCENE is taking off. I never promise the musicians that people will gather en masse to hear them play. But as the weeks go by, more and more patrons of the Lokahi Kailua Market are stopping by to see what’s up, and hear what’s up. I’m hopeful that as this remains a steady, predictable music venue, people will come by as regulars. See the lineup I’ve put together into September...

We are grateful as customers and clients find our shop, and enjoy the quality of the multi-faceted experience we offer. Our wonderful bunch of talented and happy people press on despite sudden, tragic news we received just a few days ago. It has been an emotional time for us, and yet being able to serve people has been medicinal. May our dear friend Trevor Frasca rest in eternal peace and serenity.

One of the cafe challenges we face is having internet photos of food we used to make. It’s always a bummer to tell people we no longer make the Loaded Avocado Toast that was such a favorite before COVID arrived. However, we’re very proud to serve quality products from One Love Bakery and Cafe. Three pot pie flavors, three quiche flavors, and now breakfast burritos and calzones as well — each one crafted with ALOHA in Shannon’s kitchen. We love doing business with One Love Bakery!!

We are rolling with weekly music at the mural on Sundays. Please see the lineup on this page.

Please welcome Ty Hedrick to our group of talented artists! Ty brings a following from her time designing her own artistic brand of clothing. Her clothing often inspired customers to say that they would love to have her work on them as a tattoo, and VOILA! Ty is apprenticing now and will be opening books for summer...

The Collective is making changes to improve our business’s survivability. Next week we intend to add a big, long, purple awning to the lanai, in order to provide a more reliably weather-protected space. The awning will retract in the event of excessive rains or winds, but on most beautiful Hawaii days, you’ll be able to cruise with a more consistent covering. This is being done as we have to move away from indoor dining. As a result, we’re expanding the tattoo shop into the “living room” area, and making room for more artists. In the next couple of weeks we’ll finish plans and execute another remodeling that will likely bring the floorplan to its final state of being.

Looking ahead to the next Aloha Home Market on January 24th, we will again bring you live music on the lanai. We’re welcoming back friends who came and played in 2020: Jen Blevins starts at 9:30am, and she will be followed by DNA_MUSE. Follow these musicians (@jenuine_leigh_jams)(@dna_muse) and come relax out in front of The Collective. Even though someone calls HPD every time we do this, we aren’t...

Thank you customers, clients, and followers for supporting us during this unbelievable year.

This coming week, Argentina’s tattoo superheroes Fabio and Florencia return to The Collective for their 3rd guest artist visit. Books are open into late February, so please reach out to them. For best results, we recommend contacting them via Instagram.

We intend to continue live music on the weekends, and are always ready to listen to how the cafe space can be rented for after-hours meetings or parties. Write to us in email using the Contact Us button.

Merry Christmas, everybody!

We’ve had some good times this month including two carnivals on our lanai with live music, meatballs, and artisan showcases — macarons, kids’ art, live painting, and jewelry all featured. Three more events are planned for December 6th, 12th, and 19th to carry you into the new year. We learned how to reserve the parking places out front to enhance our space and your covid safety, so we’ll do that for these events.

We’re greatful for the trust our tattoo clients place in us. We have never doubted our ability to operate a professional tattoo shop that meets or exceeds all DOH standards. Please have a look at the artists’ work via @thecollectivekailua.

“My Balls Kailua” has set up Tuesday afternoons (4:30-7:00pm) for dinner take-home action, including balls, sauce, and their newest creation called The Hot Chick — which is a magnificent chicken parm sandwich. Trevor and I awarded 10’s. The ladies are also going to be participating in the incredible Kailua Night Market on Nov 28th, 5-9pm. Going to be a riot.

Welcome new artist Sinjin Kristoff to the...

Thanks to word of mouth, coconut telegraph, Instagram followers, neighborhood markets, our staff, and the great artists we host, The Collective is looking optimistically at the month of Movember. Several highlights are confirmed on our calendar page, and yet we know that new surprises await us.

Yesterday, as one example, we welcomed a group out of nowhere, called the Aloha Knitters, who found the center-stage couches the perfect area to enjoy a couple hours of friendship, laughs, coffee, food, and KNITTING! What a lovely group of ladies! After essentially four months of closure this year, the JOYFUL SOUNDS of five women enjoying camaraderie and friendship was amazing. It is hours like these that were precisely what Lisa and I hoped to create at The Collective. And, while seating limitations are in place by City Tiers, we nevertheless welcome your group to come enjoy our lounge as the Aloha Knitters did today.

We also hosted Kids Art with Miss Nadia, and built out a calendar for these events that are fun, artful, and heart-warming. Next week, Nadia will move to...

Yesterday, the Earth resumed rotating on its axis, the sun was shining, people were out together, and it felt like the good old days. Probably at some point, we passed within illegal distances of each other, but when you have 11 socially-distant people in line for coffee, there is likely to be some flirtation with disaster. Alas, we fight on as a society, normalizing, caffeinating, adding body art, and enjoying the menu of festivities we offered on Saturday. Duncan landed a wonderful booking of @flohimusic for 75 minutes of majestic vocals and original music from Connor and Lou. Our friend Julia hosted her wonderful creations of macrame and brass jewelry, and we teamed with the vibrant @alohahomemarket to shake up Uluniu Street. Our whole team is fully energized by this weekend’s signs of renewal and hope!

Following up on our friend Mpho, her podcast “@journeywithmpho” recorded last week in our lounge and is live now at all the places listed below. Wonderful! Titled “Three Foodie Couples in a Room” and subtitled to feature support for local businesses, the podcast is...

Well, at last, we’re going to have an opportunity on Thursday to re-re-open the tattoo shop. Lisa, Trevor, and Carly are appropriately in high demand. Please head to our Tattoo Artists page here to see their work and find their links.

What’s been very gratifying for us is to begin to have events to populate our calendar once again. The calendar page used to keep us pretty busy, updating names of headliner comedians, lanai musicians, or other events. Sadly that page has been relatively inert this year, but have a look here and you’ll see that we’re taking Tier 2 and running with it!

Last Wednesday evening, we welcomed a true friend of the store named Mpho to record the latest podcast in her series titled “Journey with Mpho”. It was a real pleasure to do so, and we look forward to continuing to support her podcast, her poetry, and her positive outlook! Mahalo, Mpho! www.journeywithmpho.com – also available via Apple Podcasts,...

Welcome to our site! We are in the process of building our blog page and will have many interesting articles to share in the coming months. Please stay tuned to this page for information to come. And if you have any questions about our business or want to reach out to us, we would love for you to stop by our contact page.

Thank you!