Stillwell’s Bakery & Cafe, originally based in Wailuku, is opening its second location around mid-November.
The cafe’s second location, which Aloha State Daily got to preview this past weekend, will be within the Central Pacific Bank building in Kahului at 145 Ho‘okele Street. During our preview, business manager partner Matt Portilla said that they anticipated the new store would open in two or three weeks, and its grand opening will be in December.
“We’re excited to announce that our second Stillwell’s Bakery & Cafe location is scheduled to celebrate its grand opening on Dec. 9, pending final confirmation,” he says.
Established by Roy and Louise Stillwell and Jerry Gibson in 1994, the bakery and cafe is known for its fresh-baked pastries and breads.
“We’ve been fortunate to serve the Maui community from our Wailuku location for more than 30 years,” Portilla says. “Expanding has been something we’ve talked about for quite some time. When the opportunity to partner with Central Pacific Bank presented itself, it felt like a great fit. We loved the concept of bringing a locally established bakery into such a beautiful, modern space.
“The location itself is fantastic,” he adds. “It’s centrally located in Kahului, it’s easily accessible, and surrounded by businesses, shopping and a growing community. It gives us an opportunity to reach new customers while making Stillwell’s more convenient for those who already know and love us.”
Central Pacific Bank’s Kahului location opened about a year ago, according to Portilla. He emphasizes that, while Stillwell’s Bakery & Cafe will be in the CPB building, individuals don’t need to be bank members to enter the store.
“You do not need to be a Central Pacific Bank customer to visit us,” he says. “Everyone is welcome to stop by and enjoy our delicious selection of freshly baked pastries, breakfast and lunch offerings, and specialty coffee drinks.”
He likens the concept as being similar to Tidepools Marketplace, adjacent to Central Pacific Bank’s main branch in downtown Honolulu. The marketplace often hosts a variety of pop-ups featuring baked goods, flowers, themed foods and more.
The second location will feature many of the Stillwell’s favorites that customers know and love — including cream horns and freshly baked pastries — according to Portilla. He says customers will be able to get specialty coffees, breakfast items and a selection of the cafe’s popular lunch offerings.
“Because the new location is a smaller cafe concept, the menu will be more streamlined than our original Wailuku location,” he says. “We’ve focused on selecting items that are both, popular with customers and convenient for people on the go.”
The bakery’s famous cream horns — comprising flaky puff pastries filled with pastry cream, dipped in milk chocolate and dusted with powdered sugar — are a popular treat that individuals often take on the plane, according to Portilla.
“People go to Krispy Kreme all the time and take those donuts over (to neighbor islands), but they take our cream horns, too,” he says. “But we’re out of the way in Wailuku; it’s not really on the way to the airport. Here, it’s such a great location for people to come by, grab the cream horns and take them over to neighbor islands.”
The Kahului cafe will also feature exclusive dishes, according to Portilla. Customers can look forward to a Maine lobster roll, along with specialty pastries like mini eclairs, according to Portilla.
The bakery/cafe’s initial hours of operation will follow Central Pacific Bank’s operating hours, according to Portilla.
“We have plans to expand our hours as our business grows,” he says. “We want to make it convenient for customers to stop in for their morning coffee and breakfast, grab lunch during their workday, or pick up some of their favorite Stillwell’s pastries while they’re out and about.”
He anticipates the area being especially busy during the holiday season, and looks forward to introducing Stillwelll’s to individuals who may not have visited the business’s Wailuku location before.
“This is our big-box store area; our only Target, Costco, Lowe’s, and Walmart are all here,” he says. “For the holidays, this area is really booming because people are coming and shopping.”
Portilla also notes that he’s proud of the Stillwell’s Bakery and Cafe team, saying that this expansion has given its employees opportunities to grow alongside the business.
“For me, it’s really about growth and opportunity — Stillwell’s has been part of the Maui community since 1994, and opening a second location is a pretty exciting milestone for us,” he says. “We’re grateful to Central Pacific Bank for the opportunity to partner with them on this project.
"While we’re excited about expanding, our commitment remains the same — quality food, great service and maintaining the traditions that have made Stillwell’s a Maui favorite for so many years,” he adds. “We can’t wait to welcome everyone to our new Kahului location.”
CONTACT
Stillwell’s Bakery & Cafe – Kahului
Inside Central Pacific Bank
145 Ho‘okele St., Kahului
stillwellsbakery.com
Instagram: @stillwellsbakery
Initial hours of operation: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, closed Sundays
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
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