Cool Cat Cafe’s new Swag Shack in California offers holiday gifts to support Maui ʻohana : Maui Now

Cool Cat Cafe’s new Swag Shack in Pismo Beach, Calif. is offering gifts with local flair, and donating 10% of retail sales until Christmas to families displaced by the August wildfires on Maui.

Located next door to the beachside restaurant, the Swag Shack is stocked with all kinds of Cool Cat clothing, toys, and beach gear, from T-shirts and sweatshirts to shovels and pails for building sandcastles.

“We have all kinds of Cool Cat and Maui Strong merchandise and gift cards, which make great
gifts,” said Cool Cat Cafe Owner/Operator Sean Corpuel.

Corpuel said the Swag Shack is something he and his family have wanted to do for a long time. When COVID-19 hit, they turned a negative situation into something positive by selling merch out of their restaurant. Once business got back to normal, Corpuel started looking for another location.

Earlier this year, he purchased the storefront next to Cool Cat Cafe (formerly Penny V’s Hawaiian and Beach Apparel), and now he’s working with the City of Pismo Beach to connect it to the restaurant.

It’s been a bright spot in an incredibly difficult time: In August, the Cool Cat Cafe in Lahaina, Maui, was destroyed by catastrophic wildfires. The family’s restaurant next door, Captain Jack’s Island Grill, also burned down.

The disaster left all the restaurants’ 120 employees without jobs, and at least 60 of them also lost their homes and vehicles. Determined to help their Maui ʻohana, the Corpuels set up a GoFundMe campaign that has since raised over $150,000 in support of employees and their families.

The Corpuels are also in the process of opening another Cool Cat Cafe in Kīhei, Maui, about 40 minutes away from Lahaina, which is set to open in February 2024. In the meantime, the Swag Shack is selling Maui Strong clothing, the proceeds of which all go to the GoFundMe. And, until Christmas, 10% of all retail sales from the Swag Shack, including gift cards and e-gift cards, will go to the GoFundMe as well.

“Everybody on Maui is still struggling, and they’re still putting their lives back together,” Corpuel said. “A lot of people are getting displaced from hotels during the holidays as tourism comes back. And, even if they’re not, how long can you live out of a hotel? Not having the comforts of home, especially during the holidays, is really tough.”

The Cool Cat Cafe Swag Shack is located at 685 Cypress St. in Pismo Beach. For more information, including gift card purchases and details about the Maui Fire Fund for Cool Cat Cafe & Captain Jack’s Staff, visit CoolCatCafe.com.