POI‘PU — Business was booming for the six local crafters who participated in the Koloa Plantation Days craft fair held yesterday at the Embassy Vacation Resort Poipu Point. Strategically stationed in the entranceway to the lobby, the regulars, each usually
POI‘PU — Business was booming for the six local crafters who participated in the Koloa Plantation Days craft fair held yesterday at the Embassy Vacation Resort Poipu Point.
Strategically stationed in the entranceway to the lobby, the regulars, each usually assigned to one day of commerce at the resort per week, were crowded by droves of local and timeshare patrons, eager to purchase pieces of the panoply of locally-produced products.
Within an hour and a half’s worth of time, mere empty spaces had noticeably consumed the formerly filled tables, while vendors remained in awe as cash boxes began nearing their maximum capacity.
“Out of all of the bags I made, and there was a lot, I only have one more left,” exclaimed a surprised Sharon Hashimoto, whose “Kaua‘i” embossed, printed fabric bags were a hit with consumers.
Hashimoto also sold a number of fabric-based placemats, aprons, and other decorative accessories, which due to the high volume of demand gave interested consumers the option of pre-ordering their creations.
“See here? I’ve provided customers with a display of spools of different color and patterns of fabric. From this, since I’ve ran out of most of my items, they’ll be able to choose what they want me to make and which fabric they want me to make it out of, and I’ll bring it to the Embassy,” Hashimoto said.
“Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! It’s on the sign,” Hashimoto pointed out. “This is turning out to be a pretty good hobby.”
Hashimoto, whose husband Clifton is a retired Kaua‘i Fire Department firefighter, said she started sewing when her husband worked, “Just so I would have something to do.”
A few tables down, crafter Ruby Kekahu, and 6-year-old daughter Hi‘ilei Dela Cruz, were running low on their Hawaiian-inspired, floral hairpins.
“We started out with two dozen, and now we’re down to just three. I guess I have to make some more,” Kekahu said while trying to close the cover of a lauhala box that accompanied the floral piece. “Eh babe, you want to go have a smoothie afterwards?” she asked her daughter.
Kekahu explained that, if they did well at the fair, she and Dela Cruz would indulge in a smoothie from the resort’s snack shop, located poolside.
Meanwhile, the 6-year-old was more concerned that she was down to just one of her shell-magnet creations, the other being sold in an early rush.
Dela Cruz said the process of creating the animal magnets is fast. Searching for the right shells to make the right creation is what takes time, Dela Cruz’s mom explained.
More shoppers poked through the wide assortment of jewelry being offered by Accessories by Neri the next table over. Shirley Neri, proprietress for that table, said, “This is one of the best ones (craft fairs) I’ve been to. Everything is messy. It’s all spread out.”
Neri flitted from one end of the table to the other, stopping to answer customers’ questions, field sales, and keep an eye on her jewelry pieces, one of which snagged itself onto the shirt of a customer.
Neri said she’ll also be on hand for the ho‘olaule‘a, this Saturday, July 30, at the Anne S. Knudsen Park (Koloa ball park) following the Koloa Plantation Days parade through town at 10 a.m. “Cory (her son) will be working at that one,” she said.
In between the rush of shoppers, Koloa Plantation Days organizer Melinda Uohara squeezed through with a handful of brochures touting the event schedule for the weeklong celebration. “No more T-shirts,” she announced. “We were going to be selling the T-shirts here, but everything got sold Saturday night. No more T-shirts.”
Connie Ueding and Jolene Fiorito of Bear Hugs of Kauai are no strangers to crowded craft fairs, their microwaveable, aromatic bears being at a lot of fairs since 1999, when the pair started frequenting the fairs.
Ueding, who is a pharmacist during the weekends, explained that they normally are on hand every Tuesday at the Embassy, but due to Fiorito having to have surgery, they have been absent recently, hoping they can resume their weekly appearances from January.
Starting out with just the heat-retaining therapeutic bears, the pair have, over the years, added on some unique items, such as their assortment of book thongs and jewelry assortments featuring beads created by a Kilauea artist they met through eBay.
“When we saw where the artist came from, we kept bidding,” Ueding said. “And, when the deal was done and she asked where to ship the items to, we said, ‘Can we just come and pick them up?'”
“We’ve always had crowds,” Ueding noted of the steady stream of shoppers that edged through the narrow walkway. “But, this is the nicest one, since we always get repeat customers.”
Outside the crowded marketplace atmosphere, two Embassy Vacation Resort Poipu Point employees manned a minifood booth featuring hot dogs and cold drinks, the employees relishing the opportunity to be outside in the morning sun.
“Proceeds from this gives us a head start for next year’s (visitor industry) charity walk,” one employee said while serving hungry customers. “Everything (from the food booth) goes to the charity walk. It’s a great thing, don’t you think?”
Festivities for the Koloa Plantation Days, sponsored in part by leaders with the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, will continue throughout the week, until this Sunday, July 31, culminating that day with the Koloa Plantation Days rodeo at CJM Country Stables in Po‘ipu. For more information, please visit www.koloaplantationdays.com, or call 652-6878.
