Collaboration, care and community are a few of the values that newly formed nonprofit Molokai Alliance for Native Artisans, or MANA, holds.
In August, the hui of Molokai native product makers, artisans, crafters and small business owners will travel to Oʻahu for the Made in Hawaiʻi Festival. “We are proud to showcase makers from the Molokai Alliance of Native Artisans this year for the very first time … bringing more diversity and impacting our reach statewide,” festival organizers said in a statement.
From weaving lauhala to crafting jewelry, baby blankets, apparel and more, “every piece we create is rooted in culture, care and connection,” the organization said on Instagram. “We’re not just preparing for a festival. We’re continuing a legacy.”
As one might suspect, costs to travel from Molokai to other islands can add up. “We only have one airline, and it costs a lot, so our airfare to Oʻahu and Maui can be on average $200 roundtrip. To go to Hawaiʻi Island, we pay more. So, that’s one of the challenges we experience,” MANA interim president Solana Adachi told Aloha State Daily.
And on an island with 7,000 people (not including visitors), these makers are looking for ways to scale sustainably, while growing local partnerships.
Adachi said it’s worth it for them to be able “to grow, get exposure and experience.”
Several of MANA’s nine founding members have sold products at markets on Molokai and the Made in Maui County Festival. This weekend, Molokai business consultant and clothing brand owner of Bujified Hawaiʻi LLC, Tylor Tanaka, will be at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center for Hawaiʻi’s Finest Summer Expo.
ASD spoke with Adachi to learn more about Molokai Alliance for Native Artisans – its members, funding and goals – as well as her background in business on the Friendly Isle.
ASD: How and why did Molokai Alliance for Native Artisans get started? What are your current priorities?
Adachi: Some of our original members – we’re now at 11 – participated in an incubator cohort together, which made us family. It’s evolved into a community offering advice, resources and helping each other out rather than gatekeeping. We want to help grow Hawaiʻi’s economy however we can, become sustainable, create opportunities and collab with one another and other local businesses.
With help from Tanaka, we launched in March after establishing our founding members, creating our bylaws and mission and setting goals. I was voted interim president, having taken the initiative to research and get the nonprofit together. It’s something that I like to do – this is something that I feel is kind of like my child, my baby. For me, leading is making sure we’re all on track and having fun. We don’t want to lose focus of what our goals, mission, purpose are.
After Made in Hawai’i, we’re already getting ready for Merrie Monarch. Long-term, we’d love to eventually host our own Molokai Made event featuring vendors from the Islands.
ASD: Tell me more about your members.
Adachi: Everybody is naturally passionate and excited to be part of it, to have this hui, to collaborate and to support one another. It’s a bunch of like-minded people, basically, to carry this forward.
Currently, vendors have to take care of their own travel, but we do aim to offer support. We’re still looking to diversify funding and apply for grants; it’s become more than just travel expenses to off-island events. We want to grow our community and encourage other hand-made, artisan businesses to join. Right now, funding comes from our members, who have the option to pay a small fee monthly or for the year. This is spent on event applications, workshops, things like that.
ASD: What are you most looking forward to at the Made in Hawaiʻi Festival this year?
Adachi: We’re excited for the experience, exposure and networking – just meeting new people or returning customers we know through social media, in-person. What we’ll be offering there are products from a generational lauhala weaver, along with an ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi teacher selling educational wooden toys. Plus, we’ll be selling culture-based apparel, jewelry, tablecloths, baby blankets, gifts and more.
ASD: Tell me more about your business ventures.
Adachi: I was born and raised on Oʻahu from Mānoa. My family moved to Molokai 30 years ago when I was a freshman in high school. Later met my husband, who is second generation, born and raised here. Before Covid, I was a preschool teacher for 15 years up until 2019 when I had my twins. In 2022, I started my business Palaelae Collective, an affirmation brand for men and women that I mostly sell at markets. My husband Kenny was a groundskeeper before taking over his family’s screen-printing business, and in 2021, he opened a storefront called, n8vbuilt. It moved to a bigger location in 2024 after adding more vendors on consignment. Today, n8vbuilt apparel carries products from more than 25 small businesses on Molokai and is full-time for both of us.
Made in Hawai‘i Festival is scheduled for Aug. 15-17 at Hawai‘i Convention Center. Ticket sales for the general public begin Aug. 1 at https://madeinhawaiifestival.com/.
Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
