LIHU‘E — Black Friday weekend shopping continued with Small Business Saturday to a more diminished audience at the Kukui Grove Center where shoppers were provided an opportunity to spend $100 and receive a $20 gift card in return.
Laurie Ho, president of the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau who only last week partnered with the Kukui Grove Center to reopen the weekly farmers market as the Pau Hana Market, manned a station as the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau Small Business Advocate.
“American Express did not have that many promotional items to share, this year,” Ho said. “Normally, there’s a lot of things we can distribute. Even Deja Vu Surf Hawai‘i who is a strong Small Business Advocate doesn’t have anything showing on Small Business Saturday. We’re just promoting the Pau Hana Market that meets Mondays from 3 p.m.”
Swttreats Creations with Tese Lugo showed up next to the guest artist Emilia Knudsen near the Kaua‘i Society of Artists gallery.
“Melissa McFerrin-Warrack, the specialty leasing manager and event coordinator at Kukui Grove, asked if I would come,” Lugo said. “We’ve done several craft fairs in the past. This year, there’s no craft fairs so having this opportunity is really good.”
Lugo’s offerings of fabric crafts including an assortment of face masks in three-dimensional and children’s sizes attracted a steady stream of shoppers.
“This three-dimensional one is really good because for glasses wearers, it tucks in under the glasses preventing the glasses from fogging,” she said. “It also has room for talking — you don’t need to take it off to talk.”
Lugo’s offerings extended to face mask tethers, wallets, and even a case that conveniently stores a smartphone while it is charging.
Small Business Saturday was a reason to draw the Zonta Club of Kaua‘i to the Kukui Grove Center where the Zonta Club partnered with the YWCA of Kaua‘i, the Catholic Charities, the Girl Scouts of Hawai‘i, and Friends of the Children’s Justice center in advocating “Zonta Says No to Violence Against Women.”
“They all need help?” Ernie Domingo said while having his lunch with friends. “I didn’t have that much money so I just went down the line with whatever I had.”
The collective group provided resources that people could support, and accepted donations for survivors of domestic violence, including bath towels, hand towels, face towels, TV trays for children, and large storage containers for school supplies.
“We all care for the same kids,” said Holly Walker of The Friends of the Children’s Justice Center.
Keiko Napier of Japanese Grandma’s Kitchen dropped off two armfuls of toweling, fending off offers to join the club.
“I went shopping at the Puhi Park Produce,” Napier said. “My car is filled, but I had to come and get the towels for this.”
The Saturday event by the Zonta Club of Kaua‘i marks the start of 16 Days of Activism where people are invited to view each day’s event virtually by checking out www.Zonta-Kauai.org, or following the social media outlets.
