The crowds were waiting, a line forming long before the doors for the Hawaiian Airlines presents the 31st Annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival opened to the public.
The three-day event began Friday and continues through the weekend, sure to draw throngs of shoppers looking to support local artisans, crafters and business owners. And there was plenty to choose from: handmade wares, jewelry, clothing, food and baked goods, spices, art and more.
There's even more for shoppers to take in, too, with a lineup of chef demonstrations, entertainment, fashion shows and more throughout the weekend. Read more about that here.
A record-breaking MIHF drew more than 70,000 attendees and generated approximately $10 million in revenues in 2024.
Aloha State Daily joined in on the fun Friday, speaking with a handful of the small business owners who set up shop. We asked them all the same questions and here's what they had to say:
Caleb Spencer, Hae Hawai‘i
What does 'Made in Hawai‘i' mean to you?
We're a printing company, so we print most of our stuff here and Made in Hawai‘i gives a lot of small, local businesses, how we started, a great opportunity to showcase what they're selling or what they're making here in Hawai‘i.
What's the best part of owning a small business?
The best part is working with family. It's a good and bad problem, but it's the best, and I have great teammates.
Jaime Cunnane, Alohapost HI
What does 'Made in Hawai‘i' mean to you?
Made in Hawai‘i [means to] try to use as many local vendors as possible if you need to outsource anything, and really keeping to as much of our native culture and the local aloha spirit, hoping that all of that shines through all of your product when you're here.
What's the best part of owning a small business?
The best part about owning a small business, I guess, is the level of creativity you can have. Obviously, I'm an artist, so I can steer myself wherever I want to go. Recently I've been going more ... bird friendly, just because I think that it's something that everybody — if you live here, if you visit here — you need to pay attention to the native species and really respect kanaka and all of the Hawaiian culture that is here, and without that, really you have nothing. So that's what I like to do.
Adrienne Suarez, Sub Dog Designs, doing business as Tarot Patch
What does 'Made in Hawai‘i' mean to you?
To me, it means the creativity from these islands — the inspiration that comes from living here, local culture, Hawaiian culture. And it means that we do things with our hands. We make things on our own and we base it here. I know there's a lot of creative people and just walking around here, you get so inspired to see the pottery, the art prints, the fabrics, textiles, the food, all of that. But the fact that it came from here and from our creativity, our own minds, is what it means to me.
What's the best part of owning a small business?
The best part is you get to choose which 120 hours a week you want to work. (Laughs). But it's fun. You have creative control, you can manage your schedule. If you have an idea in the middle of the night, go get on it. It's all you, right? So that's what I love about it.
What does 'Made in Hawai‘i' mean to you?
Made in Hawai‘i means to me community. I just am so lucky to live here and get to do business with all these amazing other small business entrepreneurs. Everyone is so great.
What's the best part of owning a small business?
The best part about being a small business owner is really just the fulfilled feeling I get from wearing all the hats. It can be so hard, but it's so fulfilling at the same time.
Geoffrey Siu, Geoffrey Siu Art LLC
What does 'Made in Hawai‘i' mean to you?
Made in Hawai‘i has been something that we grew up with. It started off as kind of like the big fair. What we like to view it as is the big kick-off for holiday season. I think a lot of small businesses really value it as just being a way for us to connect with our local audience. There are some smaller craft fairs that do pop up, but this is like the big one. This is the one that you want to be at. And for us, last year was our first year doing Made in Hawai‘i and it was kind of life-changing for us. We weren't expecting it to be so crazy, and then it hit. It was literally our biggest event. So this is probably going to be our kickoff for the holiday season. We're going to be ramping up and producing even more stuff every single month and this is just the beginning of it.
What's the best part of owning a small business?
Owning a small business has been very beneficial for me, just because of the flexibility. The commute is very easy. I get out of bed and then I just go to the office, which is like two minutes away down the hallway, and I'm able to do the things that I love. This has been a dream for me. ... It started as a business in high school and now that I have big boy money, I can do everything that I want and have everything look the way that I like it.
Debby Sato, Debby Sato Designs
What does 'Made in Hawai‘i' mean to you?
It's a good way to get exposure and to network with other vendors, and just meet all my customers that have bought from me online and acquire new customers.
What's the best part of owning a small business?
Freedom. (Laughs). I love the freedom.
MIHF is produced by the Hawai‘i Food Industry Association. Proceeds from the festival support HFIA's mission "to build a strong, sustainable and resilient food industry in Hawai‘i."
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
