Local News

Rooted in Lahaina: New marketplace brings local businesses back downtown

'Ulu O Lele Marketplace opened Tuesday on Front Street in Lahaina, breathing new commercial life back into the downtown historic district while giving two dozen small businesses a chance to set up shop.

Many of the businesses at 'Ulu o Lele were decimated by the August 2023 wildfire, and people came out in waves to welcome them back, while also checking out the merchandise, getting a bite to eat and enjoying live entertainment on the marketplace's main stage.

Vendor booths and keiki games added to the atmosphere at the former Outlets of Maui site on corner of Waineʻe Street and Papalaua Street, as children ran about, old friends exchanged kind words and busy business owners scrambled to keep up.

Mary Grogan, owner of Mary Go Round Thrift, a local secondhand, consignment and boutique clothing store, said the heavy foot traffic had been "nonstop" since opening.

"I'm so happy," she said. "I can't even stop smiling. My face hurts so bad."

Grogan lost her home and her business in the fire. On Tuesday, a sign outside the door of Mary Go Round's new storefront expressed her gratitude and optimism.

"We built this together for five years before the fire, and through it all, you have been so good to me," the sign read. "Now I am back and it is my turn to give back to you. What was taken will never come back, but what we will rebuild together brings so much hope and emotion. This is it, the time is now!”

The Hawaiian Council announced the businesses selected to open at Ulu' o Lele last week after a community advisory committee reviewed 126 applications for the 24 available spaces, giving priority to small business owners affected by the 2023 wildfires or with a connection to Lahaina.

The committee also tried to select a good mix of businesses that reflect Lahaina and serve community needs. Business readiness, cultural authenticity, community impact and stewardship potential also came into consideration.

"We read every word. We felt every story," said Mikey Burke, chair of the ʻUlu o Lele Advisory Committee about reviewing the applications. "We needed to make sure that the marketplace was a reflection of our community."

Burke said she hopes ʻUlu o Lele becomes the piko of Lahaina, with the community coming first and visitors feeling welcome.

More than two years in the making, ʻUlu o Lele grew from discussions between Hawaiian Council and Maui County officials about restoring Lahaina's economy. Hawaiian Council led the development of the approximately 3-acre site with support from Hawai'i Community Foundation.

For Baya Bowls owner Ceone Nojima-Jacinto, returning to Lahaina means more than reopening a business in the town where she got her start in 2015.

After losing both of her food trucks in the 2023 wildfires, Nojima-Jacinto eventually resumed operations at D.T. Fleming Beach Park in Kapalua. But being away from Lahaina has meant missing the familiar faces, neighboring businesses and sense of community she had come to know over the years.

"It’s just a way to get back into the community that we started in and be able to see familiar faces again, have that camaraderie with other businesses that we’ve been kind of missing out when we’re so far away from town," she said prior to Tuesday's grand opening.

Other stores at the marketplace include Beyoutiful Soul Shop, Da Kine Tattoos and Collectables, Goin Left and Handmade by Heather and more. They are operating alongside Hawaiʻi Gelato, Mina Massage Therapy, One of Dakine Maui Carving, Taste Da Rootz and the Lahaina Barber Company, as well as an assortment of food trucks.

"Behind every business is a person or family working to rebuild their livelihood," said Kūhiō Lewis, CEO of Hawaiian Council. "While we wish we could accommodate every business that applied, ʻUlu o Lele is one step in a much larger effort to restore Lahaina's economy. This marketplace isn’t intended to replace the rebuilding of Front Street, but to create opportunities for businesses to return, earn income, reconnect with customers and support local jobs while that rebuilding continues."

Seventeen modular storefronts built in Hilo were shipped to Maui and installed at the former Outlets of Maui site ahead of Tuesday's grand opening. One of the units will serve as the ʻUlu o Lele office and a business incubator space, providing another way for entrepreneurs to participate in the marketplace.

After losing their home and belongings in the 2023 wildfire, Sergio Perez and his wife Brayz Lee, a Lahaina native, temporarily relocated to Las Vegas. They returned to Maui and started Front St Fresh, a food truck serving Mexican-inspired dishes and local favorites.

For the couple, joining ʻUlu o Lele was an opportunity to grow their business and help rebuild Lahaina's future.

"We wanted to be part of something bigger, something that is going to bring Lahaina back," said Perez. "This is the beginning of something beautiful, I think. And we want to be part of it."

Autumn Ness, executive director of the Lahaina Community Land Trust, was working at the Maui Hub, a nonprofit whose mission is to help farmers sell their products while providing fresh and affordable produce to Maui residents.

Before Tuesday, the Maui Hub had operated as an online market at mauihub.org, but working at the new storefront, Ness offered a word of caution as the recovery effort continues.

"What I'm seeing is that everyone wants business to come back, but not everyone agrees on what that business should be and who it should serve," she said. "We've crunched the numbers on what it is going to take to redevelop Lahaina to be business-ready, and in order to make a profit, the rents that they're going to have to charge are not something that folks like this will be able to afford, so we have to be very careful about who buys commercial property and what kind of funding they use to rebuild it all."

She agreed that consumers also have a say.

"As we're rebuilding this community, where we spend our dollars is so important," Ness said.

Local businesses at 'Ulu o Lele

Businesses at the 'Ulu o Lele Marketplace in Lahaina include:

Storefronts

• Beyoutiful Soul Shop

• Da Kine Tattoos and Collectables

• Goin Left

• Handmade by Heather

• Hawaiʻi Gelato

• HENŌHEA Hawaiʻi

• Kekai and Me

• Mary Go Round Thrift

• Maui Hub

• Mina Massage Therapy

• Nani Shells

• One of Dakine Maui Carving

• Taste Da Rootz

• The Jewelry Stand Maui

• Lahaina Barber Company

• West Side Boba

Food Trucks

• Baya Bowls

• The Funky Mug by Drift

• Front St Fresh

• Mr. Sub Deli

• ʻOno Tacos Lahaina Mexican Food

• Penne Pasta Cafe

• Smash Maui