Lahaiana Printsellers lost its store at 764 Front Street in the Maui wildfires on Aug. 8, 2023. More than a year later, the shop reopened on Oct. 20, 2024.
“We were initially wanting to open on Aug. 8,” said owner Chris Anderson. “We just had issues with getting things done, so we kept fighting on and getting everything done as quickly as possible. … And it was great. We had a great time. A lot of friends and family came to support, and a lot of people who were following us on Facebook.”
The grand opening of the new approximately 1,100-square-foot space inside Lahaina Cannery attracted about 50 people at a time, he said, including Lahaina Printsellers’ previous owner, Charlene Walker.
Anderson is currently the store’s only employee, but he plans to hire back two of its previous employees, Melissa Rigney, who is also one of its artists, and Spencer Cowart. He spoke with Aloha State Daily about the impact of the fires and ways the store is helping Lahaina residents who lost houses incorporate a first piece of art into new homes.
How has business been since the reopening? It's been steady. Some of the days it feels almost busier than Front Street was this time of year. And then other days — right now we're like, the week before Christmas, which is the slowest week of the year. But it's been steady and good. I'm very happy with how things are progressing. The food trucks just opened in the mall last week, so that's kind of helping. And the management of the mall have a lot of things planned, and really are going all in on turning the cannery into Lahaina town for the next seven-plus years.
Can you share more about the impact of the Lahaina wildfire and how readers can help? My wife and I lost our home and everything. And then both the gallery, as well as the production gallery, and then I had my own business, as well, that was operating out of our office. It was kind of a full reset for our life. … I put all of my savings into getting the gallery reopened as soon as I could. Luckily, we can provide goods and services now. Before we were using GoFundMe to help raise money, but just buying any art [through our] website helps a lot, because it's able to support an artist, as well as keep the doors open [for our business].
One of our pieces that's been really popular lately, it's called, “In Memory of Lahaina Town,” it’s an aerial of all of Front Street. And another one … I'm calling it the only photograph of the banyan tree that exists with no people in it. It's the only one I found online. Our landscape photographer Todd Kawasaki, he photographed it during Covid. … He worked on it for four days, and it was one of our bestsellers, even before the fire. But given what happened to the banyan tree, it's such a significant piece.
What else are you looking forward to in 2025? We’re planning on some fundraisers soon with the Rotary Club and possibly the [LahainaTown] Action Committee. For anyone rebuilding their house, we're going to be able to provide the first piece of art for them, for free. And possibly some projects with the middle school, like providing canvas for the kids to paint their homes, and things like that. So [we’re] really focused on community, but we're also trying to bring back Friday night art night, which was a huge part of Lahaina town. … All the galleries would have wine and artists there to meet for signing, so since we're not doing it at nighttime, I rebranded it as Aloha Art Fridays.
Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
