Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 10, 1 October 1994 — Looking great while you wait [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Looking great while you wait

Native Hawaiian loan fund recipient offers expectant mothers a fashionable alternative

by Patrick Johnston For Gail Keana'aina, getting pregnant doesn't have to mean looking unattractive.

Keana'aina, along with her sister and husband, owns and operates From Here to Maternity, a Kona-based maternity and children's clothing shop with an eye for fashion. "Our motto." she says, "is 'look great while you wait.'" Keana'aina has run the shop since 1990 and was able to expand her operations with a loan from OHA's Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund in 1994. The store offers a full line of maternity clothing, from nursing wear - tops, dresses and sleepwear whieh adapt easily to breastfeeding - to maternity swimwear. It also has a large selection of young ehildren's clothing. "My challenge," Keana'aina says, "is to provide my customers with comfortable and fashionable clothing for all oeeasions." Keana'aina explains many pregnant women aren't aware of the enormous variety of attractive and comfortable maternity clothes available these days and will simply buy larger sized clothing as the pregnancy develops. However a larger size is larger everywhere, not only the stomach, and is likely to not fit as well. Keana'aina says the benefit of the clothes she sells is that they will "fit

properly, everywhere, throughout the term of the pregnancy." She points out many manufacturers these days are producing:

fashionable clothes specifically for the speeial sizing needs of pregnant women. Some of the products she sells are created by loeal designers who add more of a Hawaiian feel to ihe clothing. This is popular among loeal residents, who appreciate the warm weather designs, and tourists, many of whom are pregnant or know someone who is, and want to take something home as a useful souvenir. With larger women's and children's clothing shops already established in Kona, and more likely on the way, Keana'aina realizes she has to make her shop sufficiently unique in order to win customers away from the cheaper stores. She offers gift wrapping, free alterations, and free delivery

to hospitals and homes. She will also order specialty items and have them in the store within two or three days. Keana'aina also makes an effort to sell products not found anywhere else. "I strongly feel that because this is such a small town that we

need variety. ... I won't . buy something for my store if someone else sells it." Being well-versed in the maternity wear business, Keana'aina offers a wealth of knowledge to her customers rarely found in larger operations. She does most of the buying and all of the selling for her store and knows " what her customers

needs are. Keana'aina was born in Honolulu and has Iived in Kona since 1966. She studied fashion merchandising after high school and has worked in the clothing side of the retailing business most of her working life. Four years age she teamed up with her husband and sister and bought From Here

to Maternity. Her sister now does the books and some of the buying and her husband helps out with maintenance and advertising. With the loan from OHA, Keana'aina was able to expand and diversify the line of kids clothing that

1 she sells and carry out some usefeul renovations. Overall Keana'aina finds running her own business an enjoyable experience but admits some days are better than others. "Retailing is up and down," she says. "One day you feel everything is ■ great. the next you feel you are going to go

down." But she enjoys working with people and that ultimately makes the work satisfying. "I love it because of the customers. I feel like I am doing a community service." From Here to Maternity ean be reached in Kona at 329-6262. For information about the Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund eall 594-1888.

"My challenge is to provide my customers with comfortable and fashionable clothing for all occasions." - Gail Keana'aina

Gail Keana'aina hangs up some of her new line of kids' clothing at her shop From Here to Maternity. Photo by Patrick Johnston

Kona-based From Here to Maternity. Photo by Patrick Johnston