Chinatown lei decidedly patriotic
By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Staff Writer
Patriotic lei have begun hitting the streets in Chinatown and at the airport in the past week, with prices for the red, white and blue dyed dendrobium orchid lei ranging from $5 to more than $20 for "premium" lei.
Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser
"As the demand increases, we can bring more in," said Donald Chun, operations manager for Greeters of Hawai'i, which sells to wholesalers who distribute to Longs, Wal-Mart, and vendors in Chinatown and at Honolulu airport.
Red, white and blue dendrobium orchid lei are being dyed and sewn in Thailand for sale in Hawai'i, prices ranging from $5 to $20 or so.
Several hundred are available now, and the reactions are mixed, said Chun.
"We showed them to the Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau people, and they had high praise," he said. "But I haven't had any orders yet."
The lei are being dyed and sewn in Thailand where a many such orchids are now grown. But there are still orchid farms left in Hawai'i, said Chun, although only the Thai farmers are producing the patriotic garlands.
With no suitable blue flowers for red, white and blue lei, growers have been experimenting with dyes, Chun said.
"We had to make sure they didn't smear."
Greeters of Hawai'i is one of the state's oldest and largest producers of flower lei, creating and importing thousands every month. In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks and the resulting tourism slowdown, its airport sales have been hit hard, and the company has laid-off about half of its staff of about 100 lei-makers.
