Why we're not at Made in Hawaiʻi this year

We are not at Made in Hawaiʻi Festival this year, and it was one of the hardest decisions we have made as a business.

What it meant to us

Being part of Made in Hawaiʻi was an honor. I do not use that word loosely. It is the event a lot of Hawaiʻi small businesses dream of and spend the year working toward, and getting in and being able to participate was a huge deal.

In two short years it became one of our biggest events of the year. The setup, walking the floor early in the morning before the doors open, the feeling when the first person comes around the corner and sees us, and being able to see so many new and familiar faces.

It took our entire ʻohana to pull it off. Every single time.

If it's such a big event, why are we sitting out?

Three big things went into it.

1. Our ʻohana

Made in Hawaiʻi is not a day. It is load-in, and then multiple days on your feet, and then load-out, and then the week after where you are useless. Not to mention the weeks and months leading up to it.

So much time with the kids gets sacrificed for this one weekend. My kids have had to hear me say, more times than I can count, sorry I can't be there, sorry I have to work, sorry this and sorry that. And I hated that. The whole reason I started this business was to be with them.

My kids are also getting older and their own lives are getting fuller. They have practices and games and I hate missing them. This year they added an extra day, and I really looked at how much time it would require, how many of their things I would miss, and whether we even had enough help at home to make it happen.

2. Our team

We are small. Smaller than people think.

Running a booth like that means asking basically everyone if they can help me on their day off or in the evenings after work. On top of that, orders still need to ship. Emails still need answering. The business does not pause because we are at an event.

Asking my family to help out at home with the kids, or in person at the event, or in a lot of cases both, was more than I was willing to ask this year.

3. You

This is really why I loved doing Made in Hawaiʻi. It was never for the sales. It was for you.

The best part of that event is talking story with people. The last couple of years it is the thing I looked forward to most. Being there all day and all night to talk to anyone who stopped by our booth.

Which is exactly what made this so hard. Sitting out means missing that, and I have not fully made peace with it.

The bigger picture

I won't beat around the bush. We are stepping back from a lot of the in-person events we have done throughout the year for the foreseeable future. We do have some we are planning to do during the holidays, but our home life is changing and I need to be home with the kids. That is the work-life balance between me and my husband, making sure someone is always home with them, something a lot of families here in Hawaiʻi are figuring out too.

I do not know exactly what that looks like long term. But right now, this is what our ʻohana and our team can take on.

We hope you still go to Made in Hawaiʻi

If you are able to, I hope you go. Seriously.

The businesses who ARE there this year worked all year for those four days. They are incredible and they deserve a packed booth. Small business needs support right now more than it has in a long time. Every single day I open my phone and see another local shop announcing they are closing, and it breaks my heart every time. I am grateful, genuinely, that we are still here doing this.

So go, and shop within your means. If you can't make a purchase, share out the things you saw and loved and the businesses that had them. You have the power to get our names in front of people who do not even know we exist yet.

Ways to support small business, most of them free

Not everyone can shop right now, and that is okay. These matter just as much:

• Shop small when you can. Even once. Even something little.
• Leave a review. This one is bigger than people realize, especially for online shops. It is the closest thing we have to a customer walking someone over and vouching for us.
• Save and share their posts. It is how more people find them, and it costs you nothing.
• Tell your friends and your family. Word of mouth still beats everything.
• Just keep showing up. Every bit counts more than you know.

Where to find us

We are not going anywhere.

• Online, 24/7, at thekeikidept.com
• A new collection dropping next week. It is here at the warehouse right now and I cannot wait for you to see it.
• Warehouse pickups are back in September. Before then we have a few dates where you can come see our new space and shop while we are open.
• Our retail partners around the islands. The full list is on our website, and they are worth a visit.

So while we won't get to see you in person this weekend, know that we are thinking of you, and missing these events where we get to see you and catch up.

Leilani