MAC Market Makes Two

The Molokai Flying Saucers play music regularly at the MAC Market. Photo by Dayanti Karunaratne

By Dayanti Karunaratne

The pandemic changed many things on Molokai, including the long-running Saturday morning market in Kaunakakai. Thankfully, there are people in the community who saw a way forward and worked together to create the Molokai Arts Center Market, which celebrated its second anniversary this month.

“It is a great space — not just for selling and buying but for featuring the talent on this island,” said Alice Ka’ahanui, Executive Director of the Molokai Arts Center (MAC). “It has become a community hub where the vendors have developed relationships as an arts community, and where residents and visitors come to look for that unique gift because they’re mostly handmade.”

Held every Saturday at the Molokai Community Health Center (MCHC), the market is a collaboration between MAC and its host. Their first market was July 20, 2024. Except for a short pause following the spring storms, which flooded the market areas, it has been going strong ever since.

Betts Cruz is among a core group of about 15 vendors who come every week. She sells cards and other artwork that highlights Molokai’s beauty and advertises her services as a notary.

“Whether we sell or not, we’re still happy to be here,” Cruz said. “This is our market family. We really look after each other.”

Arabella Ark sells her ceramics at galleries on other islands, but said this market is special. Being part of the market community keeps her coming back, she added

“People worked really hard to get this going,” Ark said. “And even though it’s not in town, which everybody would have liked, there’s a certain camaraderie over here.”

Ka’ahanui said that food vendors also bring creativity to the market, such as unique fresh juice combinations and herb-infused bread, and makers such as Stephani Bush and her palaka print shorts offer practical Molokai wear that’s also on-trend.

The musicians are also key. Known as the Molokai Flying Saucers, they bring a special ambience to the weekly gathering. They set up under the shade alongside picnic tables and attract an appreciative audience to their traditional Hawaiian music. Ka’ahanui called them “a blast from the past” and said some people go to market just to enjoy the music.

The MAC Saturday Market happens every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.