LIHU‘E — The Pau Hana Market, a partnership between the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau and the Kukui Grove Center, celebrated its second anniversary on Monday when the cowbell welcomed the surge of people waiting to enter.
“We’re a ‘Neighborhood Champion’ for Small Business Saturday,” said Laurie Ho, president of the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau. “We’ve been a Neighborhood Champion from before the pandemic. Farmers are small business, too.”
The anniversary served as a platform to launch Small Business Week at Kukui Grove Center, inviting Robbie Melton of the Small Business Development Center to help distribute giveaways promoting small business.
“I’m usually not in town on Mondays,” said Melton while mingling through the throng of farmers market shoppers and distributing reusable shopping bags extolling shop small. “I didn’t realize how busy farmers markets are.”
Melton said as part of Small Business Week, she’ll be back at the shopping center later in the week to offer Kukui Grove merchants who are small businesses promotional material extolling the advantages of shopping small or patronizing mom and pop stores.
The weeklong campaign will be interrupted by Thanksgiving, when the shopping center gives its tenants the option of staying open, and the Black Friday deals. Small Business Saturday will be celebrated with the festival of Kaua‘i Made vendors filling the spaces around the mall from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“The collection of Kaua‘i Made vendors is perfect for the holiday shopper,” said Melissa McFerrin-Warrack of Kukui Grove Center. “Shoppers are able to enjoy the benefits of shopping small that include unique Made on Kaua‘i items and the personalized service that can be found at independent small businesses.”
Shop Small is the logo-ed phrase for Small Business Saturday, Small Business Week and other Shop Small events. It was founded in the midst of the 2010 recession by American Express to encourage people to Shop Small (the Saturday following Thanksgiving) to bring more holiday shopping to small businesses across the nation.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
