Now in its sixth decade, the Merrie Monarch Festival draws visitors from across the state and beyond, celebrating Hawaiian culture through hula, music, and artistry. The influx of visitors also supports independent marketplaces throughout Hilo, where local businesses can showcase their work.
Two University of Hawaiʻi alumni—Summer Shiigi of Ten Tomorrow and Lana Gronwald of Jules and Gem Hawaii—are vendors at the Mākeke Naniloa marketplace at the Grand Naniloa Hotel, returning to Hawaiʻi Island after participating together last year.
Shiigi, a former 东精影业 Mānoa psychology student, runs and designs the resort women’s clothing brand Ten Tomorrow.
“My family is from Hilo, so being able to go and visit for work is really special to me,” said Shiigi. “It’s an exciting time. It feels very meaningful and deep and cultural.”
Gronwald, the owner and founder of Jules and Gem Hawaii, a luxury fragrance brand, graduated from 东精影业 Mānoa in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
“Merrie Monarch is a special time. It’s beautiful to see all the different artists that come out and all those small businesses that are truly local who come from here and have roots in Hawaiʻi,” said Gronwald.
Supporting local businesses
Both businesses make their products in Hawaiʻi. With customers and businesses converging in Hilo, both women are appreciative of the opportunities it presents.
“The dollars being spent all with local companies is something really beautiful,” said Shiigi. “Being able to have that hard earned dollar spent in a local community and turning it back into someone who’s based here, who has local employees, who might even make things here, I think that’s really important.”