Lahaina Custom Guitars Celebrates Opening at Bigger Location

Avi Ronen, owner of Lahaina Custom Guitars & Repairs, in front of his new location, and home of K Avi Guitars. Courtesy photo.

By Sonia Isotov

Lahaina Custom Guitars & Repairs (LCGR) will celebrate their new Lahaina location on the corner of Lahainaluna and Wainee with a lunch-time grand opening party featuring a performance by Willie K in the parking lot.

To celebrate their bigger storefront, the grand opening celebration is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 10 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The parking lots will temporarily close while Willie K, Avi Ronen and Jerry Byers, along with duo Indio & Avi perform live music. Attendees can participate in a $5/ticket raffle for an Oscar Schmidt Tenor Ukulele. Proceeds from a silent auction will benefit the Hospice Maui.

LCGR was formerly located for six years in Anchor Square and the owners, Avi and Shelly Ronen, are very happy to finally be able to move to a bigger location. “The new location is a place we had looked at for years, but every time the spot became vacant someone else got to it before we did,” said Shelly Ronen.

Inside new location. Courtesy photo.

“We were located at Anchor Square for six years in 324 square feet. Finally, we got to this new location first and have a store almost three times the size of the old one. We like the visibility and the foot traffic of being on the corner of Lahainaluna and Wainee and close to Front Street.”

Visitors and locals alike enjoy this one stop shop for guitars and ukuleles.”Local musicians and visitors are often repeat customers because of Avi’s specialty and knowledge of guitars. He cares for each instrument as if it is his own. Guitars are his passion and you can see and hear it in his work,” said Shelly Ronen.

Guitar room at the new location. Courtesy photo.

Hot products at the store are Avi Ronen’s custom electric and acoustic guitars, along with a selection of ukuleles. Ronen is currently working with Washburn Guitars to bring in some new instruments to expand the selection of Boss, Electro Harmonics, and BBE pedals.

Ronen is also working with Lahaina-based KP Ukuleles to manufacture custom acoustic guitars along with a selection of KP’s handmade Koa ukuleles in Lahaina.

Additionally, Ronen and KP Ukuleles recently worked together with Oscar Schmidt to design the Willie K model ukulele.