This month, we sat down with artist Jaime Cunnane to talk story about her journey from small local markets to one of Hawaiʻi’s biggest events — the Made in Hawaiʻi Festival. Jaime shares her firsthand experience navigating the leap, from setting up her first booth to learning what it takes to stand out among hundreds of talented makers.
In this candid Q&A, she offers thoughtful reflections and practical tips for artists dreaming of joining larger festivals — including how preparation, community, and resilience shaped her path. Follow along as Jaime answers our questions and shares advice for anyone looking to make the jump.
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How did you decide to make the jump from smaller markets to Made in Hawai'i?
I decided to make the jump from smaller markets to Made in Hawaiʻi during COVID, when the festival was "held" online; Because the market was forced to be virtual that year, it was a rare opportunity for more small businesses to get into the festival to sell their products without much of a commitment.
I didn't sell a single thing that year, but vividly remember purchasing artwork from others, including Judd Boloker and Kris Goto that year. I remember having to actually drive to Judd's residence that year to pick up a print I bought and thinking, "huh, I could do this..."For some reason that experience of meeting him in person felt less like I was meeting a celebrity and more like I was meeting another human going through the same crazy pandemic I was.
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Was there a difference in your setup for both types of markets (did you have to think about additional logistics/fixtures/etc?)
By the time MIH went back to an in-person event, I had a few markets under my belt, and had no idea how to fill a 10 x 10 foot both space. I certainly struggled at the Ala Moana parking lot MIH to fill my booth, and because of the layout, felt like hardly anyone knew I was around. By the time day 2 had come around, the main attraction to my booth ended up being a giant myna bird head I had made for Halloween one year, and everyone wanted to try it on and take photos with it. It was something different to get people to come over to my booth, but it wasn't something that helped me sell product.
This was a good learning year, however, because everyone seemed to struggle with foot traffic, wherever they were in the structure. I was down the row from Nick Kuchar's booths, and he had set up strings of lights, which greatly helped customers to see, and I learned that having things at eye level helped to sell product, just so people could easily see what you had amongst the hundreds and hundreds of other booths.
When MIH moved to the Convention center, I had a much better idea of the flow I wanted for my booth, and designed it to be as open as possible, without being right at the front of the "opening" of the booth.
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Getting into MIH can be competitive. Was there anything that you did differently to help your application stand out?
I really think I got into MIH at the right time. Although it was COVID and I made $0 that first virtual year, it at least allowed me to get my foot in the door and gain contacts.
I think that doing other markets outside of MIH allowed me to gain vendor contacts, and I asked so many questions to others about their experiences, which helped me get into the right mindset to face MIH (because it's really like planning to run a marathon of sorts) Tanya from Lahaʻole was particularly helpful answering my many questions during a market- I happened to be booth neighbors with her during a Mom Made Market.
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How did you project sales (or inventory needs) for your first MIH show? Have you adjusted this for subsequent events?
I really had no idea what to expect for my first in person MIH show, and I remember bringing WAY too much initially. I also didn't know if we were meant to take all inventory home and back again between days, but quickly learned that most vendors just kept their set up as is, and refilled their stock everyday as needed.
I learned to not bring as much, because there would always be an opportunity to adjust between days, and restock if needed between.
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What type of support did you have from friends or family to help you in setup or working your booth. Any tips?
Having at least another person available for such long days is absolute key to your success. The days are extremely long- you end up talking more than anything to people who really want to know who you are and what you stand for. Sure, there are many who just see something pretty and want to buy it, but most times people are there, especially for art, they want to talk to the artist themselves and ask questions.
Set up can be grueling when you're trying to fill a 10 x 10 space for a multiple-day event. It feels like you're moving into an apartment, and trying to make the space look as polished as possible.
This past year I was extremely blessed to have my best friend volunteer to fly back home for the whole weekend and help me the whole time. This helped my mental health- I had someone to talk to if there was ever any downtime- she could help ring people up when things got busy (we could ring up at the same time)- she helped me restock and tidy up- and I had an opportunity to actually enjoy the market at times- go grab food, run to the restroom, even shop a little at other booths.
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Any tips for those making the jump from smaller events to MIH?
Plan WAY ahead. This past MIH, I decided to start prepping for it about 4 months in advance, which I think helped me more successful than prior years. And it really does feel like maybe if I had prepped even longer, I would have even more success next time.
Observe other booths at MIH. Look at their flow, the way they have their product on display. Think about using that back "wall"/curtain as an opportunity to either purchase large signage or hang things onto an added grid wall. Use all space in your booth, but make sure there's enough room for customers to not feel crowded and overwhelmed in your booth. Treat MIH like it's a different beast than other markets (because it is). Apply but know that you might not get accepted- and if you don't- take the opportunity to go and look at all kinds of booths as a customer at MIH.
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Anything else you'd like to share?
Sometimes, starting out, it feels like MIH festival organizers leave you out to dry. I don't necessarily think that is something they are intentionally doing, but it does feel like that when you're in a sea of 700+ booths and you're missing something like a chair, or you feel like things really are a pain (parking for vendors, costs, etc.) It's a lot. I don't think a lot of it is fair, especially for those who are just starting out and fees can add up really quickly. Knowing you're not alone in these feelings is comforting and the only way you're really going to want to continue is to actually bond with other vendors who are in it with you.
I also want to say that it is pretty frustrating at times to see certain businesses have a presence at MIH when I feel like they've already "made it". Having 5 brick and mortar stores to me feels like you're maybe past needing to be at MIH and takes away from all the smaller businesses who are really trying to make it. Every single smaller business I've talked with about this feels the same way too- and I hope its something MIH organizers will think about moving forward- looking at supporting and uplifting more of the truly "small" businesses and having some sort of threshold where if you've "made it", it's agreed that you move on.
Also wanted to add- neighbor-island vendors have it WAY harder than anyone on Oahu. The added costs just to get themselves here, in addition to their product, renting fixtures/tables, etc. can really add up. One thing I'd like to see the MIH organizers do is make it a little more "fair" for neighbor island businesses.