WAIPOULI — Chris Boussard of Clay In Mind said there won’t be the traditional Handworks craft fair this year that falls on the Saturday following Thanksgiving at the Elsie Wilcox Elementary School cafeteria.
“They won’t be having the event this year,” said Boussard who started his pottery entrepreneurship at the long-standing community event that was the only one on Kaua‘i featuring artists. “I guess this year, I’ll be at more of these Kaua‘i Made holiday events. Or, people can drop by my studio in Wailua, or visit my ClayInMind Facebook page.”
Boussard was one of 16 vendors participating in the Saturday Waipouli Town Center event that launched the series of seven Kaua‘i Made holiday events announced by the county’s Office of Economic Development.
“This has been going very well,” said Julie Demond of Jules by the Sea as she monitored a group of visitors browsing her line of hand-made jewelry interspersed with other individually-designed craft pieces. “There has been pretty good traffic throughout the morning.”
Undeterred by the rapidly-rising morning heat, Valerie Saiki stopped by Clay In Mind after a unique ring holder caught her eye.
“My mom usually just puts her ring on the window sill when she’s washing dishes,” Saiki said. ‘This ring holder is good so she doesn’t lose her ring.”
Attendees of a Kaua‘i Made fair will be able to shop for locally-made products while in a safe environment, states the county’s release. Vendors will be wearing face coverings, and physical distancing measures will be observed. Participants, meaning shoppers, must also wear face coverings over their noses and mouths, and according to signage at the fair, refrain from touching products.
Uncle John Kaohelauli‘i also monitored his table where people engrossed in konane strategizing grappled with the no-touch policy. Kaohelauli‘i, a regular participant at the once-monthly Sheraton Coconut Beach Resort event, smiled from his tent that offered konane, or Hawaiian Checkers, games and a line of Kaohelauli‘i-inspired wear ranging from trucker’s caps to tees and tank tops.
“The vendors really need this exposure,” said Barbara Gusman of the Sheraton Coconut Beach Resort. “We started with the farmers market in the parking lot, and the crafters inside the resort. The farmers market is gone, and with the opening of several attractions, we’re down to just those crafters who really need a place to showcase their items.”
The next Kaua‘i Made holiday event is the Sheraton Coconut Beach Resort event from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. where shoppers can enjoy not only shopping, but the pau hana specials from the resort’s bar and live entertainment.
Nov. 27, the Kaua‘i Made holiday event opens at the Kukui Grove Shopping Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of the shopping center’s Shop Small Saturday support for small businesses around the island, and possibly off-island during the nationwide event inspired by American Express. The event also ties in with the traditional Black Friday weekend.
Dec. 1, Kaua‘i Made vendors will join the farmers market at the Kapa‘a Beach Park from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Again, a reminder of COVID-19 safety protocol of face masks being required wear before entering.
Dec. 4 is the encore Kaua‘i Made fair at the Waipouli Town Center from 9 a.m. to noon, and on Dec. 11, the popular Holly Jolly Fair opens at the Sheraton Coconut Beach Resort from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This Holly Jolly event is the last scheduled opportunity for Kaua‘i Made shopping before Christmas. The monthly Sheraton Coconut Beach Resort closes the calendar on Dec. 31 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The Kaua‘i Made program was launched by the County of Kaua‘i in 2006 with support from the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority with the goal of providing locally-made products with more visibility, and encouraging the production of value-added agricultural products.
The Kaua‘i Made program offers a wide range of these products, including apparel and accessories, artwork, crafts, food, floral, health and beauty products, jewelry, publications and more.
