Clean, Simple Island Designs

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By Lisa Leggett
Owner, Bungalow 9, Modern Island Living

Tell us about your business. Bungalow 9, Modern Island Living, located in Poipu at the Kukuiula Village Shopping Center, is a lifestyle store focusing mainly on the home. The store offers interior design, several furniture lines, lighting lines and home accessories. My design perspective is about clean, simple living. You can create a modern home on a budget. I’m all about finding great resources that won’t break your pocketbook. The key is knowing everything in your space should have a purpose. I can help you organize, regroup and design a space that you’ll enjoy being in. I have a background in interior design and art, so that’s where I like to focus. But we also offer comfortable apparel for men and ladies. We also have bags, jewelry and all things that I love.

Why do you do what you do? It’s really about love and passion. Creating a home is very important. I think it really affects you personally when you have a space that’s calming and relaxing and uncluttered. I feel like I have a talent and a gift to do that and help people in that area. So having a store allows me to showcase that aesthetic without people coming into my home, and also show them what their spaces could potentially be like.

What motivates you to get up and go to work? Being creative. I have the background of being an artist, so with the store I have a chance to come in and play and redesign and re-create, and really hunt and look for different and unique things that people don’t see, whether they’re on the Island or from the Mainland.

What’s the most challenging aspect of your business? Staying ahead of the curve. I want to continue to provide one-of-a-kind things you’re not going to see on a regular basis. Keeping up with the trends is little bit more challenging when you live on an island and not in the city. But I’m constantly reading and blogging and looking at design books for inspiration and really trying to see what’s coming in the future for our homes.

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What’s the most rewarding aspect of your business? Meeting people from around the world. I have people come in weekly who say my store could fit anywhere in the world – from Paris to Florida. And that is a huge honor for me, that people are appreciating the store for what it is and it’s inspiring people from all over.

How do you measure success? As a new business owner – this store being only one-and-a-half years old – the best success I feel I get on the Island is having repeat customers and visitors. Having them come back in and developing a relationship with them means success. That means we’re doing the right thing.

What are your plans for the future? I hope this store expands and continues to grow. As it becomes successful on Kaua’i, I hope one day in the future that we can expand and put stores on other islands – that would be a long-term goal for the store. I would love to see us go to Oahu and Maui and bring them the unique perspective we’re providing here.

Bungalow 9
Open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Design consulting on a scheduled basis.
742-1961 bungalownine.com