New Nail Bar Highlights a Family’s Resilience 

Photo by Marissa Motas

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor 

For Chisa Kalani, Molokai represented a new start. After having “pretty much lost everything” in the 2023 Lahaina fires, Chisa and her husband Eha decided to send their kids over to stay with Eha’s family in Ho’olehua to start the school year. 

Like many affected Lahaina families, the Kalanis ended up living in a hotel post-fires, but weren’t happy with it. 

“We were living in a hotel room,” explained Chisa. “It was really bad. The vibe was so bad.” 

So, the Kalanis packed up their lives in Lahaina, and followed their kids to Molokai. 

“We always wanted to end up [on Molokai,]” she explained. “The fire put the gas pedal to our plans, but I’m happy that we’re here.” 

Now, over a year later, they haven’t just survived, but are beginning to flourish. Chisa’s new business, Nail Bar Molokai, opened on Friday, Feb. 7 in the office space behind Paddlers with hundreds of Molokai residents heading down to Kaunakakai to check it out. 

Having worked as a medical nail technician for Molokai Rural Health Community Association’s Kupuna Program, Chisa already had a familiarity with some of the needs of the Molokai community when it comes to nail, hand and foot care. Many of her clients are first-timers – Molokai men who might not have found themselves sitting in a salon chair before. 

“I’ve done so many first-time pedicure people,” explained Chisa, “a lot of uncles. So, I wanted to create a space that didn’t feel like a girly salon.” 

Photo by Marissa Motas

Decorated with deer antlers and located in the room behind the bar at Paddlers, the Kalanis have done just that.

It took two months for the Kalanis to transform the abandoned “bust up” office space into a nail and foot care center. After his workday at Molokai Ranch, Eha would head to town to help with repairs from water damage to holes in the walls. For the artwork, the Kalanis invited local artists like Brandon Hirashima, Kala’e Tangonan, Scarlett Ritte-Camara and the Kalawe ‘ohana to make their mark on the nail bar.  

“The community support was so amazing,” said Chisa.

Beyond medical services like foot care, the nail bar is “just your regular nail salon too, if you want to just get a gel manicure and your feet cleaned up.” 

With three pedicure chairs and two manicure stations, the staff of four are able to host groups of friends who want to get their treatments done together. The nail bar also offers different varieties of massages like hand, foot and forearm. 

In her vision for the nail bar, Chisa wanted the space to be exciting and inviting. 

“Nails and cocktails, that’s my slogan,” she laughed. 

Being so close to the bar has its advantages, but she explained that with its decorations and spa-like atmosphere, Nail Bar Molokai feels like “a very separate space from the bar.” 

And while the move across the Pailolo Channel has come with its own series of challenges, from new jobs to new houses to new schools, the Kalanis are looking back on the past two years with a hard-won gratitude. 

“We’ve been blessed beyond measure,” said Chisa. 

Check out Nail Bar Molokai weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.