Kapolei’s community lei stand blooms with local makers — and keiki fundraising

News admin June 25, 2026 0 Comments

Kapolei’s community lei stand blooms with local makers — and keiki fundraising

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – It’s lei made with flowers grown, picked, and woven in the community, for the community. We went holoholo to the Kapolei Lei Hui self-serve lei stand.

Keikilani Uehara started the stand three years ago with her kids, Elle and Elijah Idica, as a way to learn lei-making together and to bring others into the tradition. The idea grew from neighborhood walks during the COVID lockdown, when they began noticing what was available locally — like kōu and started practicing a little each day.

“We started this lei stand because we wanted to learn about lei, and other people wanted to make lei with us,” said Elijah Edica. “And people wanted to sell and help fundraise for, like, sports, for example, like basketball, volleyball, and all of that.”

The stand has since become a West Oahu hub for lei, filling a gap the community felt for years. Until recently, Kapolei didn’t have a dedicated lei stand or shop, and residents often had to drive into town.

“We sold 1,452 lei in May, we didn’t expect to have a May that crazy,” said Uehara. “But yeah, we had several days where we had lines of people lining up in our driveway, but it was really great to see a lot of people coming out, and that really demonstrated what the demand is in Kapolei.”

Today, Kapolei Lei Hui works with 43 lei makers, including community members who grow and gather materials from their own yards.

One maker, Kaleopaʻa Vares, said being part of the hui has been meaningful.

“We’ve been making lei with Keiki for about two years now, and so we just enjoy making things from what we grow in our yard,” said Vares. “So, it’s very, very awesome to see Kapolei Lei Hui thrive, especially in a community that needs lei, and so we’re just happy to be a part of that.”

The stand also supports the next generation: five keiki lei makers are involved, with some fundraising through lei sales for school sports, club volleyball, and cultural competitions — including Tahitian and Hula.

For some families, that commitment starts early. Elle Ediza described waking up before school — as early as 5:30 a.m. to pick, prep, and make lei.