Local Artisans Join Efforts to Build a Hui

Karli Rose Kalama co-founded the Molokai Alliance for Native Artisans. Photo by Léo Azambuja

By Léo Azambuja

A small group of Molokai artisans joined efforts a year ago. A few months later, a new nonprofit organization was born, creating opportunities to capitalize on grants, trade valuable information, and find mutual support to become more financially viable. 

The Molokai Alliance for Native Artisans was formed in November 2024 and officially registered as a nonprofit in February 2025. Among other goals, the alliance aims to seek grants to offset member’s travel costs for off-island events.

MANA treasurer and co-founder Vanalouise Naehu said the nonprofit was formed because many native-owned microbusinesses on the island were facing the same challenges, including limited access, high costs and very little visibility outside Molokai.

“Instead of working in isolation, we chose to come together, support each other and create opportunities that lift all of us,” said Naehu, who owns Convyk, a faith-based handcrafted jewelry business.

“Our long-term goal is to be able to travel off-island to these bigger events, like Made in Hawaii, Made in Maui, the Merry Monarch and a few others,” MANA co-founder Karli Rose Kalama said, adding the plan is to secure funding to outweigh their businesses’ travel expenses.

As the owner of Little Learning Keiki and Molokaʻi Lauhala, Kalama designs and makes ʻōlelo Hawaii busy books for keiki and unique lauhala jewelry. 

On business for only a short couple years, Kalama said some of the benefits of being part of an artisans’ hui, or organization, is being able to network and share business ideas with other entrepreneurs who have more experience, as well as having a group that supports each other.

For Naehu, being part of the hui has given her support, knowledge and a shared sense of purpose as a small business owner. 

“MANA is helping transform what is possible for Molokai artisans while staying grounded in culture, community and aloha,” Naehu said. 

Last August, MANA members participated in the Made in Hawaii Festival at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu. The three-day event showcased roughly 900 business owners statewide. 

Kalama said more than 70,000 people attended the Made in Hawaii Festival just on its first day. All Molokai’s MANA members were placed together in a sponsored section, where they got a lot of exposure. 

“You would think, because there’s so many vendors, it’s a lot of competition. But people really actually looked forward to seeing Molokai,” Kalama said. “We all actually are looking forward to next year because it was so successful, and we hope we can stay in the same section and be all together again.”

Then in early November, a few MANA members attended the Made in Maui event held at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului. Kalama said vendors from Molokai and Lanai were awarded a stipend by the Maui County Office of Economic Development to offset the costs of traveling. 

The hui, Kalama said, is open to new members, which would help to support their long-term vision of off-setting traveling costs. The main criteria are that it must be a Molokai-based business and it must be something produced rather than food. The hui meets once a month, and members are required to attend at least 10 meetings each year.

Current members are Aulani Herrod-Perkins of Pailolo Designs, Fina Kaʻauwai of Rosebuds, Karli Rose Kalama of Little Learning Keiki and Molokaʻi Lauhala, Kenny Adachi of N8V Built, Sharlah Gloor of Spencer Baby, Solana Adachi of Palaʻelaʻe Collective, Tylor Tanaka of Bujified Hawaii, Vanalouise Naehu of Convyk, and Whitnelle Lehualani Phifer of Hiwahiwa Inspirationz.

Find them on Instagram at @molokaihuimana or email molokaisba@gmail.com for more information.