There isn’t much happening on Nuʻuanu Avenue just south of Beretania in Honolulu’s Chinatown on a Tuesday night. My destination is only a short walk from Mark’s Garage, but even so, I find myself glancing over my shoulder. The block is eerily quiet.
Then I reach 1164.
At a bright oasis in the dark, I step through the door of Native Books. It feels less like entering a shop and more like crossing into a portal to another world. Bustling noise, tiles clicking, happy chatter, plates filled with abundant potluck offerings. The room is alive with energy…