Bikini Bird Spreads its Wings with a New Kailua Nest

Popular online swimwear boutique now has a brick-and-mortar shop.

By Brie Thalmann

Photos: Aaron Yoshino

It was time,” says Bikini Bird owner Tiana Becker Gamble. After nearly four years of operating solely online, the Pūpūkea native took her popular swimwear boutique from click to brick this January with a Kailua storefront.

The move comes as Bikini Bird hits its stride with its merchandise mix, a trendy assortment of swimwear and beach extras. “It was a lot of trial and error, honing in on what works best for our customers,” she says. The clincher: the smashing success of its pop-up shops, which Becker Gamble used as a testing ground. “We held them everywhere from San Diego to Australia, even at Coachella, sometimes for up to three months,” she says.

Midway down tree-lined Hekili Street, the sunny little shop pairs a clean, neutral palette—white concrete floors and a lofty, corrugated black ceiling—with rustic touches, including a Cook-pine register by Kaua‘i builder Dean Mayer and A-frame shelving units. As in the web store, you’ll find top swim brands including Mikoh, Tori Praver and Issa de’ Mar, exclusive colorways from such Insta-favorites as Aila Blue, Indah and Bec & Bridge, plus breezy cover-ups and an in-house line of graphic tees.

“We added a ton of accessories that we didn’t carry online.” — Tiana Becker Gamble

Newer are adorable girls’ suits from Acacia Swimwear and Kimi & Li. “We added a ton of accessories that we didn’t carry online,” says Becker Gamble. Think tassel-trimmed totes, statement sunnies and evil-eye chokers, all sure to keep you looking fly both on and off the sand.

Acacia Swimwear Honey Hideaways

one-piece girls’

swimsuit, $128. Pared Eyewear Rocky Barnes

sunglasses, $280. Jadetribe Valerie St. Jean

tote, $196. Bikini Bird Hawaiian Sunny Natural

Zinc Face Stick SPF30

Sunscreen, $10. Mikoh Lō‘ihi bandeau top,

Ka‘ena bottom,

$112 each. Bikini Bird Lazy Daze

baseball cap, $28.

Bikini Bird, 131 Hekili St., Suite 103, 263-8389, bikinibird.com.