Maui baker wins 3 months of free rent space at Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center

Four Hawai‘i-made brands – Happie Happie Joie Joie, Maui Glass Shapers, Edana Joy Crochet and Maui Slime Co. – set up in center stage at the Queen Kaʻahumanu Center on Saturday to vie for free rent space for three months during the 2nd annual Start with a Cart contest.

The winner was Happie Happie Joie Joie’s Jocelyn Kanaele, a baker from Hāliʻimaile General Store. She won with the most votes from the public and the highest scores from a judging panel.

Happie Happie Joie Joie is a company that makes hand-crafted baked goods.

“This contest allows our shoppers a voice in the products they want to see and truly epitomizes QKC’s core values of community, culture and commerce,” said Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center General Manager Kauwela Bisquera. 

Mise Kimono, a Japanese-inspired fashion company, won the inaugural Start with a Cart last year. The company opened their cart in Fall 2021, and moved into a brick-and-mortar location next to Jeans Warehouse Kids in March 2022. 

“It’s amazing to see the amount of local small businesses that are thriving here, and are interested in opening at QKC,” said Shannon Loo, founder of Mise Kimono, and a panel judge for this year’s contest “People are coming back out, people are shopping, families are gathering. It’s a wonderful feeling to be a part of mall that’s guiding it towards the local community.”  

The contest is sponsored by the Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center, County of Maui’s Office of Economic Development and the HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union.