LIHU‘E — Sonia Topenio of the Bank of Hawai‘i said she thought she heard something about Small Business Saturday by American Express. “Don’t quote me,” she said. “But I think today is Small Business Saturday, which was started three years ago
LIHU‘E — Sonia Topenio of the Bank of Hawai‘i said she thought she heard something about Small Business Saturday by American Express.
“Don’t quote me,” she said. “But I think today is Small Business Saturday, which was started three years ago by American Express to support the small businesses across the country.”
Topenio was correct, and she was shopping at the Kaua‘i Handworks craft fair Saturday, which took place at Elsie Wilcox Elementary School cafeteria, the first of many stops her family had planned.
“I think she wants to stop at the Kaua‘i Community Market (coordinated by the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau at the Kaua‘i Community College),” said her husband, Eddie. “From there, I think we’re going to Ishihara Market in Waimea for some stew, and I think there are some more craft fairs in Hanapepe and Po‘ipu. And since we’re going that way, Sueoka Store has really good hamburger.”
The American Express website states that between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses nationwide. Last year, more than 100 million people came together to Shop Small in their communities on Small Business Saturday.
Jean Souza, the Kaua‘i program coordinator for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, had two bags bulging with purchases from the Kaua‘i Handworks event.
“This is supposed to take care of an entire year’s worth of gifts,” Souza said. “Now, hopefully, I don’t need to worry until next year.”
While American Express offered marketing aids to help promote the event, local shoppers simply got up and did the craft fair circuit.
“They are all independent crafters,” said Ruthie Lewis, coordinator of the Holiday Gift Sale at the Hanapepe Public Library. “This came about because of a request from Becky and Reggie DeRoos.”
The DeRoos couple, clients of the state’s vocational rehabilitation program, were scheduled to have a show at the Kaua‘i Society of Artists gallery at Kukui Grove Center, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, were left without a place to show.
“Reggie is manning the table at the Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club where she show every week,” Becky said. “This is a really nice show, and Susanne Wisnewski of Switzerland is one of our biggest customers, ordering all kinds of Hawai‘i prints for her home in Switzerland.”
Wisnewski was on hand Saturday, offering a line of apple strudel, including one featuring Koloa Rum soaked raisins.
“The recipe came from my mother who is 82 years old,” Wisnewski said. “We’ve been coming here from Zurich, Germany for the past 10 years and it’s fun to be sharing with our Kaua‘i friends, one of whom is our birthday princess, Glenda Nogami-Streufert.”
But Nogami-Steufert was not the only birthday princess as at the Kaua‘i Handworks show. Nestled behind the activity, Teresa Morita said her mother, Laura Bukoski, was celebrating her 88th birthday, the birthday girl watching the shopping activity.
Lewis, who creates paniolo pillows, said she was sold out early, but was still taking orders for the holidays.
“A lot of the crafters here are from the Kaua‘i Christian Fellowship in Po‘ipu,” Lewis said. “They craft together and basically show at the church’s Christmas Shop. For me, I’m done for this year, unless I get more orders.”
Marla Shidler was one of the KCF crafters, offering a line of handbags and custom jewelry. She said the Christmas Shop is open before the church’s first service, between the first and second service, and following the second service on Sundays.
“We get a lot of visitors who appreciate having The Christmas Store when they come for service,” Shidler said. “But it’ll only be operating until Christmas.”
Several of the shoppers at the Kaua‘i Handworks event had the same idea as the Topenio family, popping in at the Hanapepe Library conference room and pleased with the strudel discovery.
Dr. Matt Miller had an offering of his book as well as a collection of CDs at the Holiday Fine Art Fest, which benefited the Hanapepe United Church of Christ community lunch — a service that offers anyone in need of a meal a lunch on Thursday, said Nancy Sato.
Miller, who holds a Ph.D. in Medieval English, said he once worked at The Garden Island newspaper in the circulation department and now teaches English at Kaua‘i Community College.
“I used to do all this (playing classical guitar) back then, and I’m still doing it, now,” he said. “Basically, I record, add some passages with the computer, and play with myself when I play live. It’s like a band in a box.”
Chris Broussard was at the Kaua‘i Handworks event, noting that he retired as a nurse and turned to his more than 20 years of working with clay.
“I only do craft fairs and orders through Facebook,” Broussard said. “I work out of a friend’s studio and the only way people can find me is to look for Clay in Mind on Facebook. I have a lot of the designs there.”
Berna McRoberts of Kaua‘i Thread Workz, featuring embroidery work on fabric, said she just moved here, her husband being the pastor of KCF, and she brought her 15 years of experience in embroidery and her industrial grade sewing machines to continue her work here.
“Basically, if it’s fabric, I can embroider something on it,” she said.
Over at the Po‘ipu fair, the Topenio’s were wrapping up their Westside sojourn.
“We got the stew from Ishihara Market, we got the hamburger from Sueoka’s and now, we’re wrapping up shopping at this craft fair,” Sonia said. “We did our part to support small business.”
