The 32nd annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival opened its doors to the public and ready shoppers on Thursday.
The four-day event continues through the weekend and is expected to draw throngs of shoppers looking to support local artisans, crafters and business owners. There's plenty to choose from: handmade goods, jewelry, clothing, food, art and more.
Aloha State Daily joined in on the fun Thursday, speaking with a handful of the small business owners who set up shop. We asked them the same questions and here's what they had to say:
Samantha Kim, owner of Coopmonsters, has participated in MIHF for three years. Coopmonsters began offering dog products before branching out into local-themed hair claws.
As a small business owner, what does Made in Hawai‘i Festival mean to you?
Made in Hawai‘i is the biggest event for I want to say everyone in Hawai‘i, and we get so much exposure for so many people, so many opportunities. Three years ago, I got laid off from my job and I had Made in Hawai‘i the next month and that totally helped my business skyrocket. So I'm so thankful for Made in Hawai‘i and all that they do. I'm glad that we're here again.
What are some of the benefits and challenges to participating in a show like this?
Well, this year, we have a lot of long hours on our bodies, so that's going to be a big challenge for us to be here until 10 p.m. at night, but I hope you guys all come because it'll be worth it. That's the biggest challenge. Also, it takes a lot of work to just prepare for this. We prepare months in advance.
(ICYMI: Coopmonsters has collaborated with Zippy's to create a new collection for humans and pets. Read more about that here).
Peter Kang, founder of Makamaka HI, which offers "elevated" mixes that can be used for pancakes, waffles and more, is a vendor at MIHF for the first time.
As a small business owner, what does Made in Hawai‘i Festival mean to you?
I think for me, Made in Hawai‘i is a show that everybody knows. ... If you want to start a business and it is made in Hawai‘i, you want to be here. I know it's also very hard. There's a number of people that come, so it's great exposure, and also I think it's really a place to be proud that yeah, you are made in Hawai‘i, that everything is done here and we do make the effort to [be] here, like all my neighbors here.
What are some of the benefits and challenges to participating in a show like this?
... Here, you don't know how much to gauge. How much do I have? What can I sample? So it's kind of second guess[ing] yourself as a small business owner, because you don't know. It's unexpected.
Artist Kris Goto says this is her fifth year at MIHF.
As a small business owner, what does Made in Hawai‘i Festival mean to you?
I feel like Made in Hawai‘i Festival allows me to connect with the local community. I really appreciate and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to get to know other vendors that are next to me, around me, but also the visitors of Hawai‘i [and] local people who like to really support local businesses all come together in one weekend, and I think it's such an amazing opportunity to really deepen that connection, but also make new connections.
What are some of the benefits and challenges to participating in a show like this?
One of the benefits of participating at the Made in Hawai‘i Festival is, again, being able to have that camaraderie among all the vendors that are here. Some of them are good friends of mine, so I get to really connect with them. ... We really get to go through it together and strengthen our bonds even more. So, I think that would be one of the best things about this festival is to further strengthen that bond among all the local business owners of Hawai‘i. I think that's very interesting and I think it's very important for small business owners to have that sense of camaraderie among each other.
[As for the] challenges of Made in Hawai‘i Festival, obviously I do the setup on my own, so I think it's definitely challenging for me to have to think ahead of time to see how much inventory I need, what are things that I need to reserve in terms of vehicles or equipment that I need to get everything into the festival. Do I need staff? Do I need someone that can help me? Who's available? All of those things take place months in advance. ... I think [the] personal challenge for me is to plan ahead and remind myself that I do really need to plan ahead of time to make it into a very successful weekend for everyone.
Nicole Haitsuka, owner of Salty Littles, which offers handmade clothing for babies and young children, says this is her third year at MIHF.
As a small business owner, what does Made in Hawai‘i Festival mean to you?
Made in Hawai‘i Festival means having the opportunity to showcase your business in such a big venue and with a large audience, but also showcasing what you ... create, just showing off your creativity.
What are some of the benefits and challenges to participating in a show like this?
The benefits are being exposed to more people, having the business being seen by a lot more people than opposed to a smaller market or just [an] online platform. For me, particularly, [the challenges are] the time it takes to sew and cut and ... label everything, setting up, trying to market.
MIHF is produced by the Hawai‘i Food Industry Association, or HFIA. The festival will run through Sunday. Find more information here.
A record-breaking MIHF drew approximately 70,000 attendees and generated approximately $10 million in sales in 2024. The festival saw about 70,000 visitors over three days last year and vendors reported sales just under $10 million, festival spokesperson Olena Heu previously told ASD.
Aloha State Daily is an ‘Ohana Sponsor for the Made in Hawai‘i Festival. Stop by our booth to say “aloha,” play some games, win prizes and learn more about the work we do. You'll find us at booth S-3009, located in the same row as the Mahi Pono entrance.
Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.
