Maui Business Tuesdays Salon will spotlight local Maui artists, March 3

Akakū Maui Community Media will host itʻs March Maui Business Tuesdays event with the theme “Maui Local Artists.” The salon will be held Tuesday March 3, 2026 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Akakū Center in Suite 204 & hybrid via Zoom webinar.

Attendees will learn from three established local businesses in the arts. We will answer the question, “how do some artists make their creative work into a successful enterprise?”

Salon Speakers are: 

• Padilla Designs with founder Larry Padilla: Founder of Padilla Designs, Larry Padilla has been creating custom metal art in Hawai‘i since 1972. He leads a family-run business known for high-end residential and commercial designs that combine durability, beauty, and craftsmanship.
• Sabado Art Hawaii with artist Philip Sabado: Owner of Sabado Art Hawaii, Philip Sabado is a nationally recognized artist raised on Moloka‘i. After a successful career in Los Angeles, he returned home to Hawai‘i, where his work, murals, and community programs celebrate culture, history, and storytelling.
• Pacific Rootz Tattoo with founder Samson Harp: An award-winning tattoo artist and cultural practitioner, Samson Harp is the founder of Pacific Rootz Tattoo, Maui’s first Native Hawaiian–owned tattoo studio. Tattooing since 1992, he specializes in traditional and contemporary Pacific Island styles, blending cultural knowledge, craftsmanship, and healing through art.

The salon will be moderated by Pamela Tumpap, President of the Maui Chamber of Commerce.

Attendees will learn how these artists got started, how they turned their passion into a viable business, what values guide their success, what unique challenges their business faces, and what it takes to sustain an arts business on Maui. The conversation will explore both their personal strategies behind their success and the real challenges of operating in today’s economic landscape. 

Light refreshments will be served, and in-person attendees will have the opportunity to network before the event in our reception area.

Event Details:

• Tuesday, March 3, 2026
  • Doors open: 5:30 p.m.
  • Event runs: 6–7:30 p.m.
• Akakū Upstairs, Suite 204, 333 Dairy Rd. Kahului
• Admission: Free – Register HERE -required for both in-person and virtual attendance
  (In-person seating is limited)

If you missed prior events, you can still catch the insights and conversations here.

Maui Business Tuesdays are an in-person and hybrid, salon series focusing on Mauiʻs small business community through media storytelling, engaging conversation and networking. The series will provide a platform for local entrepreneurs to share their stories, challenges and solutions – in a post-disaster & rapidly changing economy. The series is supported by a grant from the Maui County Office of Economic Development, in partnership with Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce and Maui Chamber of Commerce, to help tell the stories of small and micro businesses in Maui Nui.