With the latest pullback of restrictions, the Made in Hawaii Festival is back to holding an in-person event later this week. For organizers and vendors, it’s a sign of hope of what is to come.
Since 1997, the Made in Hawaii Festival has showcased local products and businesses during Veterans Day weekend.
The event has given small businesses the opportunity to connect with new customers and retailers for wholesale distribution.
One is Weslyn’s Creative Feathers, started in 1990 by Diane Mitsuyasu-Masumura.
"I was lucky enough to be a stay-at-home mom. So I had my son… and I’ve always been interested in feathers. And while taking care of him, I’ve created earrings and some small feather things and it has blossomed into a business," she said.
Like most crafters, she started at small community fairs on Kauaʻi and Oʻahu
Later, she met the organizers of the Made in Hawaii Festival, joining as a vendor since the beginning.
"It has introduced me to not only the people who love the art, but also the retail side and the wholesalers – whether it be stores, galleries, museums, hotels," Mitsuyasu-Masumura said.
Business was steady for Mitsuyasu-Masumura over the years, but she says she could always count on the festival to meet new people and get a boost in sales.
When the pandemic hit, she started a smaller business making and selling face masks.
But she says it wasn’t long before people began ordering her featherwork and other products.
"The pandemic somehow turned quite a bit of people into wanting to get back to the roots of things. And also besides feather, I also weave lauhala. And from that time on, I was busier than I’ve ever been in the business, period," she told Hawaiʻi Public Radio.
The Made in Hawaii Festival also changed during the pandemic. The 2019 event drew tens of thousands, last year it was completely online.
Festival spokesperson Olena Heu says the transition helped continue the event’s mission.
"We were able to give the vendors an opportunity to still showcase their products, and have their website, and allow people to shop online. And so because of COVID, I think there has been a bright spot in that we’ve been able to highlight the local businesses and do even more to promote them online," Heu said. "So perhaps maybe getting a larger reach and gaining a broader audience than before."
For Mitsuyasu-Masumura, the transition to online was difficult. Prior to the pandemic, she didn’t have a website and barely had a social media presence.
But the festival helped her enter the online marketplace, expanding her business beyond Hawaiʻi.
"Now that I’ve done this online, I really enjoy it. And Made in Hawaii is the main reason that I started it. I just sent an order out to Colorado," Mitsuyasu-Masumura said. "They were able to go online because of Made in Hawaii to see locally-made Hawaiʻi products that they always wanted to have, but they could never come in live person."
This year’s festival will include an in-person event with safety measures — as well as an online presence.
The in-person portion of Made in Hawaii Festival will be held at the Ala Moana Center from Nov. 11 to 14 — 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. More information can be found at madeinhawaiifestival.com
