Thousands of Hawaiʻi residents came out to support Maui County small businesses at the 10th annual Made in Maui County Festival last weekend.
More than 140 vendors and food trucks from Maui County celebrated locally made products at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center. From artisans and entrepreneurs to small manufacturers from Maui and Molokaʻi, they brought a diverse range of apparel, art, jewelry, crafts, food and more.
The event draws more than 10,000 attendees annually and brings customers and small business owners together face to face. It also offers vendors a chance to connect with wholesalers to grow their markets.
Many Maui events have been canceled in the wake of the August wildfires. But Pamela Tumpap, president of the Maui Chamber of Commerce, says holding the festival this year was more important than ever.
“So many of our vendors -- some were in Lāhainā and were really directly impacted by the fires, others sold their products through stores in that region — so it's sort of been a landslide across our retail community, for locally made products," Tumpap explained.
"It’s even more important this year for those who lost everything, it's a way to connect with buyers. It's a way to promote online sales. The community, now more than ever, is here because they know the hardships they face and they’re coming out in droves.”
Customers at Hex Press Maui’s booth got a hands-on demonstration when they bought a shirt with a hand-carved block print design.
“You get to choose a design from our book, they’re all linocuts, choose a shirt, and then you get to watch as I print,” said Tia Brady, who owns the business with her husband, Bo. “That’s the best part, just getting to share printmaking with people.”
Kūlua is an ‘aina-inspired Maui-made clothing business.
“We do the designing, cutting and sewing of all of our clothing in-house at our shop up in Makawao,” said owner and designer Anna Kahalekulu. “For us, it’s been a decision that’s driven our business. We try to focus on sustainability, not only for our fabric and our clothing, but also within our economy and our local island’s living.”
First-time Made in Maui County Festival vendor Kenny Adachi of Moloka’i said he would definitely participate in the event again. His business, IB808, sells screen-printed apparel.
“For us, [this event] is for promoting the brand,” he said. “We have our storefront at home [on Moloka’i] but we’re limited to who comes, and of course we have our website, as well as products in a storefront on Oʻahu. But being here gives us a whole different crowd — people who have never seen our products before — so that’s our main objective in being here.”
Six vendors were recognized for participating in the Made in Maui County Festival all 10 years. One of those is Moloka’i’s Kala’e Tangonan, whose family-owned business, Kupu A’e, creates wearable, hand-printed art.
Tangonan shared the story of a repeat customer who visited her tent this year after losing her home in Lāhainā.
“Her house is gone, all her Kupu A’e is gone,” Tangonan said. “So she looked at me and I looked at her, and I said, ‘Aunty, let me give you your first Kupu A’e, again.’ It's just those connections. It's what makes it meaningful to be a small business owner in Hawai’i. I think we have the deepest connections around.”
A Malama Maui button made its debut at the Made in Maui County Festival. The pin was created by an anonymous Lāhainā resident and is now available across Maui.
Tumpap said wearing the button pinned to your shirt signifies sensitivity to the community’s trauma.
“It's hard for them to tell their stories and so many people want to hear those stories,” she said. “But whether you wear the button as someone who sees them, you're saying you're sympathetic. And so you're not going to ask. But if they share, you're going to take time to listen. And if you're a vendor and you see them wearing the button, it means they're not really ready to talk at this time.”
Polipoli Farms marketed their Hawaiian herbal tea blends for the second year at the festival. Owner Lehia Apana said the event’s face-to-face connections are especially meaningful as the community pushes through tough times.
“To be able to hear how people are doing in person is really significant — it's not a small thing,” Apana told HPR. “You're reminded of the value of our small businesses because you're not looking at big boxes, you're looking at smiling faces, and that makes all the difference.”
