PO‘IPU — With Father’s Day looming, shoppers took advantage of the Island Craft Fair Saturday, picking up items not found in the malls and other shopping destinations. “They came all the way from Maui to find the manapua bags,” said
PO‘IPU — With Father’s Day looming, shoppers took advantage of the Island Craft Fair Saturday, picking up items not found in the malls and other shopping destinations.
“They came all the way from Maui to find the manapua bags,” said Edwin Vea, helping vend the fabric wares of Mailelani’s, one of the vendors sprawled out over two large tents. “It’s only been an hour since the fair opened and it’s been pretty busy.”
Karin Panui, owner of Mailelani’s said her sister Marilyn Otani likes craft fairs so much she moved back home after 37 years in Houston, Texas, just so she could do craft fairs.
Risa Clemmons, coordinator of the fair, said there were 60 vendors signed up for the Po‘ipu event. In addition to the crafters, Clemmons said there was a farmer’s market featuring several vendors, a shave ice and Thai food tent and an audio tent which provided music for shoppers.
She said the next Island Craft Fair will be on June 23 in Hanalei at Wai‘oli Park starting from 9 a.m. to benefit the Anahola community market, the site where she is located when not doing craft fairs.
“This is my first craft fair and I’m really excited,” said Sally Armstrong, labelling herself as a digital artist. “There are some prints at the Ship Store Gallery and we do some sales over the Internet, but this is the first time I’m doing something like this, and it is exciting.”
Armstrong, who combines digital photographs with artistic renderings from software during the post-processing stage, said the digital prints have been pretty popular.
“I also use some gel, some of which have colors, to add dimension and give life,” she said.
People can visit www.sallyarmstrongphotography.com for samples of her work, visit Ship Store Gallery in Kapa‘a, or be on the lookout at future craft fairs.
Another photographer, Kerry Oda, is no stranger to craft fairs, but was worrying about the finals of the Chica Ishii Stroke Play Golf Tournament at Wailua.
“Today is the final round so I think we might have to pack up early so we can be there,” said Cindy Oda, helping her husband Kerry at the booth.
Aletha Thomas of The Monkeypod Jam has just returned to the retail circuit after giving birth to her baby daughter.
“You just missed her,” Thomas said, pointing out the first Mango Jam of this year’s mango season. “This is the first of the mango. I have friends who are taking care of our booth at the Kaua‘i Community Market at Kaua‘i Community College and someone else is doing the Kilauea Farmer’s Market, where I believe the vendors from the Hanalei market which closed have been invited. I think it should be a good day.”
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
