Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 12, Number 3, 1 March 1995 — Lahaina company offers something for the discriminating shopper [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Lahaina company offers something for the discriminating shopper

by Patrick Johnston Lahaina has no shortage of gift shops and art galleries. However, not many of these are found outside the crowded downtown core, are run by cosmopolitan young Hawaiian women, and offer mueh more than the standard fare popular with the endless stream of daytripping tourists. Euro-Hawaiian Productions is and does just that.

Euro-Hawaiian Productions is the company name for a collection of stores run by Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund recipient Colleen NoahMarti and her husband Gerard in the 505 Front Street mall in Lahaina. Noah-Marti's cluster of shops includes: New York/Paris, Mad About Art, Maui To Go, and Maui Gourmet. New York/Paris is an art gallery, Mad About Art is a clothing and gift store, Maui To Go sells a variety of Hawaiian-made products and Maui Gourmet is a coffee/deli shop. OHA's loan went largely into improvements for the art gallery and to purchase new equipment. Noah-Marti and her husband started selling art and other items while organizing craft fairs at the 505 Front Street mall a eouple years ago. When some retail space opened up in the mall they jumped at the opportunity to move in. Noah-Marti is not your typical island girl. Not yet 30, she's travelled the

world extensively (she met her husband while living in France) and is using her knowledge and experience to build her business. Their NewYork/Paris gallery features modern, often avant-garde paintings and sculpture and they are not afraid to experiment with new artists. Their eollection includes original paintings by

Rolling Stones guitarist , Ron Wood and the late^ jazz legend Miles' Davis. They also carry stainless steel sculpture

and paintings by well-known loeal artist Guy Buffet. "We were tired of the fish market scene. Everything is the same," she says. "We wanted to do something more adventurous." Noah-Marti and her husband don't take a hard-sell approach when selling their art. "We try to educate people, tell

them about what they're buying, so they have a relationship with their product." Maui To Go sells things you won't find in the big retail shops - mostly high quality food products like jams, chocolates, and nuts made by smaller loeal producers. Noah-Marti says she wants to use this venue as a plaee to feature goods made by Hawaiians. "We would like to sell more Hawaiian-made products and I encourage any small Hawaiian cottage industries to eall us up," she says. Mad About Art offers a hodge-podge of different items including silk sarongs, jewelry and posters. They also sell what Noah-Marti calls "nostalgia" aloha shirts, authentic designs that date back to the Thirties. Maui Gourmet is EuroHawaiian Productions' latest offering. It features a selection of coffee shop and deli products such as special meats and cheeses, caviar, and Frenchbaked goods. The Noah-Martis' began their operation in July of 1993

and are very appreciative of the support OHA has given them. "People in OHA have been very supportive and helpful. They are not condescending and have always been available." To reach Euro-Hawaiian Productions eall 667-0727. For information about the Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund eall 594-1888.

We were tired of the fishmarket scene. ... We wanted to do something more adventurous. - Colleen Noah-Marti

Colleen Noah-Marti shows off one of the loeal products featured in her shop Maui To Go. Photo by Patrick Johnston