When Donavon and Petra Frankenreiter first moved to Kauai’s Hanalei Bay, they were seeking a change of pace. They’d just had their second son, and Donavon—an always-on-tour musician and former pro-surfer—was craving a relaxed place for the growing family to decompress and connect. “We stayed for about a year or two, and then decided to move here full time,” he explains. “We just kind of fell in love with the place.” 


That was sixteen years ago, and the love is stronger than ever. “We love the culture, the community, the beach, the people,” Donavon says.

And, anyway, they’ve become an integral part of the community themselves. Their lifestyle shop, The Barn 808 is widely known as one of the best boutiques in Hawaii. “It’s hard to describe the aesthetic in one word, but I’d say it’s very natural and lived-in,” says Donavon of the offering, which includes clothing, accessories, homeware, vintage, and children’s items. “It’s music, surfing, travel; it’s a piece of our life.”

It’s also an expression of their free-spirited sensibilities. Originally housed on the family’s property in a barn-like guesthouse made of reclaimed teak, it started life as a passion project; a place for friends to gather and browse items the couple culled on trips abroad. “We would have pop-ups once a month,” Donavon explains. “They started with like 30 of Petra’s girlfriends, then grew to 50 or 60. We'd have get-togethers and tell people to come by for some champagne and hors d'oeuvres in the ‘store.’ We’d get all our friends up here and just people from Hanalei and it started to become this fun little regular gathering.” According to Petra, “it wasn’t exactly legal!”

To transfer the vibe of the original space, they outfitted the new shop’s walls and ceiling with reclaimed teak and brought in a sixteen-foot teak table. “It's supposed to give you the feeling of ‘did I just walk into a fucking 200-year-old barn?’” says Donavon, while Petra notes that they also put a lot of care into choosing the music and fragrance. “When you walk in here, you connect with all your senses. We want people to have an experience,” she says. To that end, there’s always at least one candle from the couple’s Original Frankereiter collection lit. “I've been wanting to create a candle forever; the scent is a blend of santal, tabac, and sandalwood.”

Though the store isn’t huge, it would be easy to spend several hours exploring its many treasures. Not just because the assortment includes everything from upcycled vintage band t-shirts to Nick Fouquet wide-brimmed hats to handmade ceramics, but also because it feels so personal. “We take pride in what has been curated in this space,” says Donavon. “Petra’s hand-picked everything and it's just really everything that we use and love and wear every day of our lives. That was the idea behind The Barn; we would travel so much and find brands in different parts of the world like Australia or South America or Asia and want to bring them back to our friends here. That's how this whole store is curated.”

That spirit of discovery and sharing has shaped the store—and the way the Frankenreiters live their lives. It’s one of the main reasons they love Hanalei: it gives them time and space to slow down, connect, and reflect. “My motto is ‘live in the moment,’” says Donovan. “I've always done that my whole life; we don't really worry about tomorrow, and yesterday has already happened. It sounds silly, but I enjoy every step I take throughout the day. Coming back home to where we live, I'm reminded of that. Sometimes I get into a fast-paced sort of life on the road, but when there are moments that get difficult I just close my eyes and remind myself it doesn't matter. Relax. It's all about living in the moment, you know?” 

The idyllic north shore of Kauai has been the adopted home of Donavon and Petra for sixteen years. It’s where they raised their two sons Ozzy and Hendrix, and it’s home to their lifestyle shop The Barn 808. The area’s endless beaches and great natural beauty are enchanting—but so is the culture and community, they explain. “It’s like no other; it's a very small town. Everybody waves to everybody, there are no streetlights, and it’s sort of just country living. I love how mellow and slow it is,” says Donavon. “They say you don’t pick Hawaii—it picks you.” 


Here, are some of the family’s must-visit spots in their beloved Hanalei Bay.

WHERE TO EAT

The daily rains and tropical climate make the region incredibly fertile, so there’s no shortage of fresh-grown produce. It’s easy to have a healthy lifestyle,” says Petra, who loves to cook using fruit and veggies from her garden. When the family eats out, their favorites are Bar Acuda, which serves global cuisine using locally sourced organic ingredients, and Ama, which makes a killer ramen. “We also love going to the Holy Grail Donut food truck. It’s a local company that started in Honolulu and they make incredible donuts using taro roots. They’re delicious.”

WHERE TO STAY

“There aren’t a ton of hotels, but there are a lot of vacation rentals,” says Donavon. “It can be tricky.” He recommends looking on VRBO or Airbnb and also notes that the 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay recently opened in Princeville. “A lot of people who come to Kauai stay on the south shore and end up driving around to see what the rest of island has to offer. There's quite a bit to look at and check out.”

WHERE TO SHOP

“There's Ohanalei, a gallery that's run by Ryan Hackman. He's a legendary surfer. The shop is right next to us; we love that shop.” They also recommend two nearby stores – Slow Yourself Down, which sells organic and sustainable clothing, and a charming boutique called ‘Ohana Shop. “You can walk all the way through Hanalei town in ten minutes and there are so many cool quaint shops—it’s all cute,” Petra says.

WHAT TO DO

“To see the Waimea Canyon is really spectacular. That's one of the wettest places on all the earth,” says Donavon. “And the Kalalau Trail at the end of the road is a world-famous hiking trail; it’s like nothing else I've ever seen. If you see both of those, you're going to see from the west side to the north shore, so you'll see basically the whole island. You'll go from super wet to super dry—the west side is very hot and dry; the North Shore is really wet. You'll get everything in between.”

WHERE TO SWIM AND SURF

When it comes to beaches, the Frankenreiters don’t play favorites. “We just go wherever we can,” Donavon laughs. “But we really love going to Hanalei Bay. That's easy and simple for the kids and it's really close to our store.” However, the former pro surfer doesn’t give up his surf spots so easily. “I can't,” he says. “There are so many different spots around here but nobody's allowed to shoot photos, post about it, or talk about it. People are just surfing here for the pure enjoyment of it. No hustle and bustle. it's beautiful.”

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