Woman Discovers Her Own Grandma’s Long Lost Muumuu in a Thrift Store in Hawaii

Shannon Hiramoto, whose hobby is to collect vintage muumuus, made the accidental discovery a few weeks back when she was at a Salvation Army thrift store in Lihue, Hawaii.

“I saw this beautiful muumuu right here, and I’m like, ooh, a mini one, because you know it’s always fun finding a shorter one,” she said while speaking with KHON2. “When I looked at the tag, it said Liberty House, then it also had handwritten on it ‘Kamei,’ and it blew my mind, because that’s my great-grandmother’s name, her last name.”

After seeing the dress, Hiramoto immediately felt that it looked extremely familiar, and was positive that this was her grandmother’s since there aren’t that many Kamei living on Kauai. However, she did not quickly jump to conclusions, deciding instead to investigate further.

Hiramoto, along with her mom, spent all day looking for evidence that the dress did in fact belong to her beloved grandmother. Things were looking bleak, but later that night, Hiramoto received a call from her mother confirming her hunch with a single photograph — the last picture inside the last photo album.

To make it even more interesting, the place where the photo was taken is actually the same place where she rests to this day – Hanapepe United Church of Christ.

“I’ve come full circle and feel like she is smiling down on me or at least giggling,” Hiramoto wrote in her lengthy Instagram post detailing the discovery.

According to Hiramoto, Kamei was born in Kekaha in 1904. She passed away five years ago at the age of 108, making her one of the oldest people to ever live in Hawaii – the other person being Take Yazaki, who also died at the age of 108.

“She passed five years ago, so I have no idea where (the muumuu) had been between that point and now. It’s magic,” Hiramoto told KHON2. “I think it’s just her way of telling me I’m on the right track.”

Images via Instagram / machinemachine