Seeking community support for Princeville craft fair

I have been organizing a small craft fair with four to five vendors at the Cliffs timeshare in Princeville for almost seven years that has become a very popular gathering place for both visitors and locals as well. We proudly invite in some of the best crafters from around the island, some from as far as the Southside hand-picked from my 30 years of organizing larger fairs here on Kaua‘i.

Up until the last several weeks we were allowed to put out professionally-made signs along the Kilauea side of Ka Haku Road in Princeville and down around Pepelani Loop to help lead the way to the Cliffs timeshare, which is way off the main road in Princeville and difficult to find unless you live in the area.

This led many happy visitors and locals to our small and friendly venue. Most visitors have returned year after year, led back to us by our cheery yellow signs and arrows, which are necessary to find the way if you don’t know your way around Princeville. I’ve been on the North Shore 40 years and I can get easily lost in Princeville.

Roughly three weeks ago we were informed by the Princeville at Hanalei Community Association that temporary signs were no longer going to be allowed along Ka Haku Road unless they were for garage sales or open houses, but that perhaps they would allow us a sign up at the Princeville Park, which is frankly at the wrong end of town and on the completely wrong side of the road so really not of much use to us.

This originally seemed to start as an issue with signs being placed on Ka Haku by the Westin, which is a large corporation — quite different from small, independent artisans who are selling their Kaua‘i-made goods five hours a week and putting up professional signs for five hours at a time vs. the Westin, which was putting out signs for Starbucks and prime rib and leaving them out all day long for days.

It has also been made clear to us that PHCA will continue to promote all events occurring at the PHCA clubhouse and the shopping center, which seems a bit biased since the Cliffs is also part of the Princeville community and many of our vendors are also Princeville residents.

Besides our Sunday market, which runs from noon to 5 p.m. every single Sunday come rain or shine — since we are in a covered rec room vs. having to set up tents which can be subject to inclement weather — the Cliffs also brings in food trucks several evenings a week which are wide open to local residents and guests of other resorts, which I frankly think is a brilliant service to provide to the area.

We have attended meetings, written letters and emails, and would so appreciate any and all public support for our cause, which is also our passion as well as our livelihood. We are all hard-working, self-employed, long-time Kaua‘i residents looking for nothing more than a fair shake out here on the North Shore for our Kaua‘i-made event.

There will be another meeting on Tuesday, March 10, at the PCHA clubhouse by the park and Princeville Public Library, and we would welcome any and all support for our little event at this meeting.

Mahalo,

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Petrina Blakely is a Princeville resident.