The Adventures of Don and Betty Lou
Don Severson opened Tahiti Imports in the International Marketplace, Waikiki, on July 12,
1963. He had recently returned from a sailing trip aboard a 30' "Tahiti ketch"
to the South Pacific where he spent six months living in Tahiti. The stay in Tahiti left
him with vivid impressions of vibrant colors and bold designs that were incorporated into
the Tahitian fabric that Tahiti Imports continues to design and sell today. The store
proved a great success and soon custom-made bikinis and pareus were all the rage on
Hawaii's beaches. It was Betty Lou's fashion sense that transformed Tahiti Imports from a
little stand of pareus into a chain of stores on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the island of
Hawaii. Betty Lou and Don developed a new line of business in 1965 with the opening of
Hawaiian Antiquities, Inc. Since then, Don has acquired 30 years' experience appraising
Hawaiian paintings, books, and artifacts. Betty Lou is president of Tahiti Imports. She
often uses the designs of Hawaiian kapa and other antiquities as inspiration for her
fabric
We celebrated our 32th anniversary on December 29, 1998. We have one son, Brandon Severson, who works in commercial real estate.
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