Hawai'i-made or not, festival attendees don't seem to mind
By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist
After Friday's front-page article about the flap at the Made In Hawaii Festival, there was some talk among the exhibitors at the Blaisdell about whose stuff was made in Hawai'i, whose stuff was more made in Hawai'i and who's stuff was just plastic from China, shells from Manila, and glitter from Ben Franklin all hot-glued together in a carport in Pearl City.
There was some discussion from booth to booth, but mostly, the vendors couldn't really hear over the din, so they just smiled politely at one another and attended to their customers.
There was a story about two rival Christmas ornament vendors duking it out over the issue, but no one had actually seen the vendors speaking to each other, much less throwing blows, so if anything, it was just a talk-stink campaign, and a low-key one at that.
A look through the festival by an untrained eye (mine) didn't turn up anything too egregious. Sure, there were diaper pails and napkin holders with cartoon characters painted on (with a shaky hand) and clothing obviously not manufactured here but "Hawaiianized" with stenciled honu or embroidered leaves, but that's to be expected. People love that stuff. People buy that stuff.
The exhibition hall of the Blaisdell is wall-to-wall people during this event. It's a Christmas craft fair, but hotter. It's fudge bento, poi bagel, lilikoi butter. If you don't like crowds, you won't like this.
The arena side of the Blaisdell is a whole different party. It's quiet. Well, not that quiet, but compared to the exhibition side, it's downright serene. There's a chance to talk story with the vendors, like Hank and Laura-May Taufaasau from Hank's Cafe, who have Hank's art on display. Ask them about their anti-swearing campaign.
Or check out the plant doctors from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. These very nice people are hidden in the back near the stage. They're standing by to answer your most pressing plant and pest questions. While I stood there, they prescribed an anti-ant formula of peanut butter and borax to a man who walked away smiling.
Among the fimo flowers, the beaded cell-phone purses and the 50 ways to hide a box of Kleenex, there are a number of true treasures. Perhaps the best of best is Ka Lei Pupu O Ni'ihau. Ilei Beniamina was there with her ohana, sewing lei and answering questions. The booth is sort of hidden on the arena side, but it still outshines just about every other display.
I'll tell you what the real scam is. There are women walking around the exhibit area with baby strollers. Not those big carriages, but the little fold-together umbrella-looking ones. The thing is, there's no baby in there. It's just a place to stash all the purchases. They're sneaky about it, too. They cover the packages with a blanket and walk around barking at people to Let the baby through! Got a baby here! Hey, watch out for the baby!
What baby? Baby is sleeping on a palaka drool cloth on Tutu's shoulder. You end up jumping out of the way for several jars of prune mui, a ceramic ipu and a $30 zabuton cover.
Is all of it made in Hawai'i? Well, if that's a big deal to you, you should be doing your shopping at a place like Native Books and Beautiful Things. But overall, it's stuff people like, and judging by those baby carriages brimming with everything but baby, it's stuff people want to buy.
Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8172.
