It is official!

I have been selling art in the Randy Jay Braun Gallery in Makawao Town for a decade!

I remember when we took over the old Ola’s shop 10 years ago in the Paniolo Building.

I was a full time student, working full time, and living the fun college years

I fell in love with the misty Makawao mornings and rainy winter days.

Small beginnings.  Steady slow growth.  At the edge of the forest.

The illusive mist comes and goes and comes again.

The rain is always welcome here.

Randy Jay Braun was still printing his photography mostly in the dark room back then

and I would often help with the final step of hand tinting the hula and paniolo images.

We soon adapted our products to the demands of our customers

…less tapa products, more wood work.

With Coockoo For Coconuts costume store next door,

I would get the coolest costumes & get dressed up for every Halloween Holiday

before heading down to Lahaina for the big party on Front Street.

Some customers would come back and tell me about the

mysterious mermaid who helped them in the gallery!

Then Randy got his 6 x 17cm camera and started a collection of panoramic photography;

still mostly black and white.

Slowly a collection of Randy’s color landscapes

made their way into the gallery and our customers responded well to them.

Out with the old techniques of dark room printing,

in with the new environmentally friendly digital giclee printing.

His line of artwork continued to evolve as he found ways to package his creative photos.

As quickly as they came in, I would sell them out the door.

Soon, we had outgrown this little gallery in Makawao

so we expanded into a larger retail space right next door

with more visibility and wall space to create

even larger hallmark pieces for our collectors homes.

Without going very far,

all of our repeat customers found us slowly but surely

in our new and improved location.

The nice thing is that in all the years working in Makawao Town,

it still remains that charming, quiet place to slowly discover.

The laid back atmosphere and local lifestyle

surrounds us in an environment that embraces the real Hawai’i.

Trailers filled with horses and bulls still pass by the gallery regularly;

kids running home after school with their icecee,

or local boys catching chickens across the street.

We have come a long way!

I just want to say a big MAHALO

to all of my repeat customers who have come to visit me year after year!

Mahalo for your unfailing support!

I was employee of the year back then and now I am

Employee of the DECADE!

The Hawaiian Word Of The Day Is: ‘Umi Makahiki

(pronounced ooh-me mah-kah-hee-key)

OR
Ten Years