"Rell's Motel" oil on canvas by Caroline Zimmerman

   The Birth of Rell’s Motel…
began with a simple childhood memory. I lived in a small hale in Makaha. It was filled with a touch of nostalgia of Old Hawaii. My mom, Rell, was a true lover of Hawaiiana and the Hawaiian people. We had our Koa furniture, perfume bottles, ukulele’s, pune’e, and Lauhala mats on our floors. Our hale reeked of romantic Hawaiian past. My mom was a single parent, so it was always just she and I. She turned Pro and throughout the years I got to meet many of her competitors. Back then the Women's Professional Surfing Association was just starting so the funds were low and the competitors were all fresh and young. My mom would invite many of them to stay at our house. She would go diving and cook fish and lobsters and we’d all have a feast every night!!! They would come sometimes one at a time or in groups, from all over the world. They always had such great stories to share. It was a home filled with lots of love, laughter, friendship and warmth. As the years passed and I got older, we hung a sign by our front door, ‘Rell’s Motel’. It was perfect and one of the best memories of my childhood.

    My mom passed at a very young age in 1998 from breast cancer and I now reside in California. Before our wedding in 1997, she came up and took charge of our new hale that we just bought. It’s funny, we lovingly reflect to it as ‘Hurricane Rell’. She came up with lots of her vintage art and took us all over to Estate sales and swap meets, until our house looked identical to my house that I grew up in, in Makaha. She wanted me to feel at home and never be homesick. Many friends from our past come visit and say how my house in California looks like my house in Makaha only on steroids!! It’s really quite hysterical!!

    It’s been 7 years and we’ve had many people come and visit, some old, some new, and they just absolutely love our Hawaiian Hale. The love the warmth and the true romanticism it exudes. My husband and I completely agree, we absolutely love our hale. So we got to thinking, what would be the best way to share this great feeling from a place that we so love and hold very dear??? Hence the Birth of Rell’s Motel…

    We’ve been lucky enough to reproduce that 1940’s Hawaiian Era. We have Living Room, Bedroom, Kitchen, and Accessories, made both in Carved Wood and Rattan. These pieces are truly to die for… A must see to believe… And we can guarantee that with these beautiful items you can make your home a Hawaiian Hale as well!! We nailed it… We’re sure of it… We definitely reached our goal, of a warm, romantic Era that many thought has gone. All you need to do is add Love and Laughter!!

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