PUHI — Signs of Small Business Saturday could be seen around Kauai over the weekend. Aletha Thomas of Monkeypod Jam spoke to Melissa McFerrin-Warrack about doing something for the day three years ago, said Laurie Ho, president of the Kauai
PUHI — Signs of Small Business Saturday could be seen around Kauai over the weekend.
Aletha Thomas of Monkeypod Jam spoke to Melissa McFerrin-Warrack about doing something for the day three years ago, said Laurie Ho, president of the Kauai County Farm Bureau.
“She got together a bunch of promotional material, including giveaways, and we have vendors at the Kauai Community Market using some of the flags, mats and other promotional marketing items,” Ho said. “We also gave away reusable shopping bags to the first 100 customers, and there are prize giveaways with items donated by the tenants.”
Small Business Saturday was launched by American Express on Nov. 27, 2010, to combat post-Thanksgiving Black Fridays and Cyber Mondays. The U.S. Small Business Administration said the day celebrates and supports small businesses and all they do for their communities.
“In bustling cities and small towns across our country, small businesses drive growth and power our economy,” President Barack Obama said to the SBA. “On Small Business Saturday, we pay tribute to the ways local businesses give life to our hometowns and communities, and we recommit to building an economy where they have the resources they need to thrive.”
Donna Fuji, a vendor at the Kauai Handworks Fair held Saturday at the Elsie Wilcox Elementary School, is well aware of how small business works.
“I had a customer from Los Angeles, California, ask where is the No. 4 cookbook,” Fuji said, while getting help from her husband and third son, Thad. “I told her I only had three sons. Each of the cookbooks was done for each of the sons, the sales helping to put them through college.”
The fair was started 37 years ago by local artists Carol Yotsuda and Eve Solomon.
Some families were at both events Saturday.
“Thanan Andersland- Zatrapa is going to be 2 months old, real soon,” said his mom, Kendall, at the Kauai Handworks Fair. “He represents the third generation of The Salty Wahine Gourmet Hawaiian Salts. Uncle Steve is at the Kauai Community Market, and we are here. This is Thanan’s first experience at a Salty Wahine event.”
Small business is not just selling items, as Santa in Paradise made his first 2016 holiday appearance Friday at the Storybook Theater in Hanapepe. His tour started earlier when he surprised Koloa School children during the launch of The Shops at Kukuiula’s gift-bag partnership with Koloa School.
Santa will be appearing each Friday at the Storybook Theater in Hanapepe for talking story and photos through Christmas.
Branden Nagamine, tending to hot malasada Friday night under the Brando’s Malasada banner, said he’s been featured in a lot of Mainland publications. He knows because readers bring articles with them and ask to be photographed with the grandson of Hanapepe taro farmers.
“I don’t know how this got started,” said Nagamine, a vendor at the Hanapepe Art Night. “We were going through grandma’s cookbook and found this recipe. I made it, and it came out great. I’ve been making it ever since.”