UH to charge fee for selling lei

By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer

For the first time, lei vendors at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa graduation ceremonies will be required to pay for a booth to sell their wares. Vendors say the fee erodes the event's aloha spirit, but UH officials say it is needed to help offset costs.

Elizabeth Dain, lei seller and sales manager at Royal Hawaiian Leis on North School Street, checks on her stock of lei, which includes maile, haku, tuberose, double tuberose, orchid and double orchid. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Paul Costello, UH vice president external affairs, said spring commencement costs the university between $50,000 and $60,000 to put on, and with a tight budget, every penny counts.

"The goal here in asking the lei vendors to contribute is based on a precedent set at Blaisdell auditorium, where high school commencements take place," Costello said. "They charge the lei vendors there. We think it is a fair deal that vendors are coming into the university's area and walking away with money, and we are trying to offset some pretty substantial costs."

Roy Benham, one of the 20 vendors selected by lottery this year, said most of the vendors are small family operations, not commercial businesses. Most vendors do this as a second income and to carry on the tradition, and they will be hurt by the fees, which are much higher than those at Blaisdell, he said.

"I just think selling lei at graduations is another thing that is going to go, (along with) the aloha and the way it used to be, and will become more commercial," Benham said. "The fee is going to hurt them. They'll have to sell 25 more lei to make up the fee. It is possible they may say 'The hell with it,' and not do it anymore."

After high school and college graduates receive their diplomas, it is a tradition in Hawai'i for family members and friends to give them lei, balloons, gifts and endless hugs. Sometimes the lei are piled so high is it hard for the graduates to see over them.

The city charges lei vendors $20 for two stalls per event at the Blaisdell Center, and $75 if they want the stalls for all 14 graduation ceremonies set there this season.

Maile and haku lei, and loose pikake to be sewn into a lei, are popular during graduation season. For the first time, lei vendors will pay for booths at University of Hawai'i-Manoa commencement exercises. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Costello said the eight vendors closest to the Stan Sheriff Center, where the UH ceremony will be held Sunday, are being charged $75 each and 12 vendors placed near Orvis Auditorium on Dole Street will pay $30 each.

Costello said he doesn't believe the fee will drive up the cost of lei for graduates because the market is so competitive. About 50 people applied for the 20 booths, he said, showing that the fee is reasonable.

"If students and families feel they are not getting the right price, they will walk over to the next lei stand," Costello said. "I think the competition will stay pretty intense because there is not just one vendor, there are 20. The fee is not an onerous price — we only had one complaint — so we decided it was fair and reasonable and to proceed with it."

Benham, who has sold lei at several UH graduations, said vendors used to simply register with the school before selling on campus. Many vendors are afraid to criticize the fee because they could be blackballed from future events, he said.

"I think lei vending is real Hawaiian, it's local," Benham said. "They are doing something now that is going to affect it, and that bothers me."

Elizabeth Dain, sales manager at Royal Hawaiian Leis, said the month of May is the busiest in the lei business, with 25 percent of her annual sales taking place between Mother's Day and graduations.

Dain said the price of lei go up because of the high demand, but this year the heavy rains also damaged some flowers, increasing costs even more.

"I'm sure (the UH vendors) will have to recoup the booth cost," Dain said. "The markup on lei is not very high.

Dain said maile, pikake and haku lei, which sell for $20 to $35 on average, are the biggest sellers for graduates.

Benham said the vendors also have a problem with being located so far from Cooke Field, where the graduates and families will meet after the ceremony.

But he said they are most distressed that they were not consulted before the changes went into effect.

"We would like to meet with the university before next year and talk about the whole thing and come up with a reasonable price and find a reasonable placement," Benham said. "At least get our input."

Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.