WAIKIKI, Hawaii (KHON2) — Thousands of residents and visitors on Oahu headed down to Waikiki Beach Walk on Saturday, Nov. 30 to partake in Small Business Saturday, the day after Black Friday that aims to support independently owned businesses.
About 15 Hawaii-owned businesses participated in the event, each marked with a red bow to signal shoppers to come inside and find special deals, promotions, treats and more.
According to Jean Dickinson of PacRim Marketing Group, this year marks the second time Waikiki Beach Walk hosted its holiday open house.
“In Hawaii, it’s so important to shop small. Crazy Shirts, for example, has 20% off the whole store, Kolohe has 30% off the whole store, and EIMEO, which is a Tahitian brand, is doing 20% off all their merchandise,” Dickinson said.
For Kai Aloha, Small Business Saturday helps bring awareness to the Maui business, especially after recent struggles from the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfires.
“We did lose two stores in Lahaina last August and ever since then, events such as this one have helped bring more awareness. We’ve been able to do a Maui Strong fund where we sent money back to Lahaina residents. And so just having more recognition, having more people be aware of our company and our brand is really not only helping our company out but also helping out the people in Maui as well,” explained Isa Jauregui, Kai Aloha sales associate.
The shopping experience was completed with live music and raffles to win a two-night stay at Embassy Suites by Hilton Waikiki Beach Walk.
Guests also had the opportunity to hunt for hidden keys to win a breakout room experience at Breakout Waikiki.
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For more information on Waikiki Beach Walk’s holiday open house, visit their website.