It’s never been easier to slip into island time, right here in the PNW.
, located in Edmonds and Kirkland, visitors stroll into shops that are warm and bright. Founder Tanya Carnahan promises, "You will always be greeted with a cheerful 'Aloha!
' when you come in the door, no matter who is working that day! " Her shops exist to support Hawaiian artisans, spread awareness and education of Hawaiian culture, and to be a place of connection on the mainland for those who call Hawaii home. Aloha Northwest was born out of a return trip to Kona, where Carnahan reconnected with old friends. The islands were a formative place in her younger years, when her family lived there in the 90s.
"On one of my visits back, just a few years ago, while walking through a bustling street market on Ali’i Drive and visiting with artisan friends," she recalls, "it occurred to me that so many of the friends I knew there created incredible beauty in some form, whether it be jewelry making, painting, music, dance or crafting. " She wanted to buy it all, and bring everything back to her Washington home — to carry the breathtaking colors, sights and scents with her every day, while supporting her talented and hard-working friends.
"But since I’m not a millionaire, with the time or space for all their lovely things," she says, "an idea began to take root: opening up a little shop where I can bring back their beautiful works, support artisans and small businesses in Hawaii, and give back to this place that I love so much! "She opened the first Aloha Northwest in Kirkland in the summer of 2023.
Her grand opening was scheduled for the first weekend in August, which happened to coincide with the horrific Lahaina fires.
"I thought about canceling the opening party," she says, "because it was unfathomable to celebrate in the midst of so much pain and devastation. But then I realized that if people could gather, it was an opportunity to come together and give!
" She pivoted to host a fundraiser, and ended up with two truckloads of donated items — a true sign of the community's generosity. Not long after opening the Kirkland store, Carnahan met Kim DeMello and her husband Keenan, who'd both grown up on Oahu .
They came in to see if she'd be interested in selling T-shirts that Keenan designs and prints, and jewelry that Kim makes from seashells collected during her childhood in Hawaii.
"I said, 'Absolutely, that’s what I’m here for,' and our friendship grew from there," Carnahan says. The couple encouraged Carnahan to open a second shop in their new waterside town of Edmonds. Last June, DeMello spotted a space opening under Arnie’s Restaurant on the Edmonds waterfront, and called Carnahan; eventually, the landlords let them inside.
"We opened up the windows looking out at the ferry and the sand and waves right at our feet, and immediately knew this was the perfect spot for an Aloha Northwest beach boutique," Carnahan shares. In October 2025, after a few months of hardcore renovation work, and with lots of help from friends and family, they opened the second Aloha Northwest.
"Kim and Keenan, along with their kids Mya and Nainoa, have been an integral part of growing this business, and I am so grateful for their family," Carnahan says. To operate this "friends-and-family-run business," some of them rotate between the two locations, including her own daughter Ellia, and other "precious friends" jump in to volunteer as needed. While the Kirkland shop is tiny, it's packed to the brim with color and variety.
From the time its doors opened, this venue has grown directly from customers' requests and suggestions. Since the Edmonds shop has more room, its food and beverage section is bigger, the kids’ play area is larger , and they have the capacity to roll out racks of beach items like floaties, boogie boards, chairs and umbrellas. Beyond the retail side of things, giving back feels crucial.
Based upon her own tumultuous story of surviving domestic abuse, becoming a single mom and embarking on the dream of opening a business, Carnahan carries a deep appreciation for people and organizations that assist women in situations like hers.
"I know what it’s like to receive that life-saving support, and I want my business to be a part of providing the same help for other women. " She says Aloha Northwest wouldn't exist without her fierce determination to live and thrive beyond what she went through, along with support from family, friends and the local organization"STRONG LIKE MOM is a nonprofit that provides support, community, workshops and resources to help moms like me find a way through, and forward, after painful circumstances," she explains.
Carnahan donates a portion of every sale to STRONG LIKE MOM. She chose the store's name because she aims to spread the "Aloha Spirit" across the Pacific Northwest, while supporting as many small Hawaiian businesses as possible. Eventually, she'd like to expand to multiple locations in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
"Wherever there are people who love Hawaii, miss home and are yearning for aloha spirit in their lives, I would love to have a little boutique there for them," she says. "It really is an amazing position to be in — one that I am daily grateful for — to be able to give back, help other women like me thrive and provide a cheerful place of connection, wherever we open our doors!
" This venue seems to be more than a shop; Carnahan says it's a patchwork quilt of giving back, sharing beauty, welcoming everyone and doing their small part to make the world a brighter place. "This is my personal passion, born out of facing things I wasn’t sure I’d survive, and embracing gratitude in a new life on the other side," she says.
"I hope that passion can be seen and felt by everyone who walks through the doors of Aloha Northwest, in Kirkland, Edmonds and beyond. ""Today" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie was back on the show Thursday after she made an unexpected exit during the previous morning's live broadcast. Hawaii conservation officers are investigating after a man from Seattle allegedly threw a rock at a Hawaiian monk seal off Maui.
Sound Transit officials on Thursday outlined how they plan to address a projected $34.5 billion funding shortfall over the next two decades. The funding gap coulHumane Society apologizes after 'Adopt Me' dog kills beloved family pet at Tacoma marathon The Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County is apologizing and reviewing its protocols for taking animals to public events after a dog the agency was trying
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