Celebrating Hawaiian Culture Through Design: Inside NOHO Home Hawaii

Jalene Kanani Bell, visionary behind NOHO Home, joins the show! We talk story about her journey from hula performer to leading Hawaiian-inspired home decor. The conversation delves into cultural authenticity, design innovation, and her approach to sustainable business practices.

What we discuss with Jalene Kanai:

• Jalene's journey from keiki hula performer to textile design leader
• The influence of Jalene's mother on her creative and entrepreneurial spirit
• Incorporating Hawaiian culture and values into modern home decor
• Challenges and rewards of maintaining cultural authenticity in business
• Sustainable and regenerative tourism
• Insights on balancing traditional and modern business practices in Hawaii

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• NOHO Home Website
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Pinterest

👉 Full show notes and resources can be found here

Chapters

• 2:18 Jalene's Journey from Hula to Design
• 7:39 Old School vs. New School Business Approaches
• 17:36 Cultural Appropriation vs. Appreciation
• 20:22 Regenerative Tourism in Hawaii
• 34:17 Jalene's Personal Reflections and Travel Tips
• 39:07 Connect with Noho Home

Transcript

127_NOHO Home Hawaii

[00:00:00] Don Ho was a dear friend of hers and he said, yeah, bring, you know, bring your daughter. We'd love to have her. We'd love to pay her. And so I started working two shows a night at the Don Ho show and Don Ho was an icon. Every celebrity that came to town always. visited the show and then came backstage to visit with Don Ho and he had a pune'e and I would sit on the pune'e with my Shirley Temple and be a fly on the wall to this experience.

[00:00:39] Today we're joined by Jaylene. Kanani, the dynamic designer and president of Noho Home Hawaii. Jillene beautifully weaves her rich Hawaiian heritage into luxurious home decor, creating spaces that are both culturally significant and visually stunning. From her beginnings as a keiki hula performer with Don Ho and around the world to becoming the leader in Hawaii's design industry.

[00:01:04] Jalene shares how traditional values shape modern Hawaiian entrepreneurship and why preserving culture through creativity is crucial. For the future. This is a fun episode. We get to learn more about Jalene and native Hawaiian creators. So thanks for tuning in. Let's go. Aloha. Welcome to Hawaii's best here.

[00:01:28] You'll learn what to know before traveling as we discover Hawaiian culture, local businesses, and the experiences that make Hawaii one of the most incredible places in the world. And now. Your host, Brian Murphy. Aloha, and thanks so much for tuning in to another episode of Hawaii's Best. Thank you so much for joining me on today's episode.

[00:01:50] We're talking with Jalene of Noho Home, and I can't wait for you to hear more about her story and about her wisdom and insight into Hawaiian culture and its impact and influence around the world. We talked about all things from. Design to regenerative travel to even travel tip. So this episode is packed full of a great conversation with Jalene.

[00:02:18] Jalene began her journey in the arts as a Keke Hula performer, sharing her talent on the iconic stages of Waikiki and with performers like Dawn Ho. She not only performed across the continental U. S., but also internationally, embodying the spirit of aloha and serving as an ambassador. For hawaiian culture from these roots.

[00:02:38] Jalene has grown to become a leading figure in hawaii's Design industry and in entrepreneurship her mother a designer and entrepreneur in her own right Ignited jaling's passion for creativity This influence is evident in jalene's brand noho home where she crafts hawaiian inspired luxury home decor That tells the story of the islands through every piece.

[00:03:02] Jaylene's design are a testament to her deep connection with her culture, her travels, and her dedication to sharing it with the world. Today we discuss more about the intersection of culture and commerce and how traditional Hawaiian values can inspire modern entrepreneurship in today's landscape. So I can't wait for you to hear Learn and get to know Jalene even more.

[00:03:24] So let's go ahead and let's talk story with Jalene from Noho home.

[00:03:36] Aloha, Jalene. And thank you so much for coming on Hawaii's Best Today. How are you doing today? Well, aloha kakahiaka. I am doing great. And I have this beautiful pikake lei I was gifted. So all is well. It's beautiful. Tell us a little bit about how everything started. Specifically, Noho, how did that all start?

[00:03:59] Well, let's see, that is a long time coming and loaded answer. So you know, noho home, and I'll start with noho, which in olelo Hawai'i means, amongst other things, to dwell and to reside, to sit with not a thought or a feeling. So that's the spirit of noho home or noho home, which is to feel connected and to dwell in your sacred spaces.

[00:04:27] Thanks. Thanks. Thanks. And so Noho Home, we provide Hawaiian inspired luxury home decor, we like to call it style with aloha. Love that. I'm curious about, because your mom was a designer, and I'm curious about how your mom's work inspired and shaped your path. So you know, my mom was the first education coordinator for the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

[00:04:54] Oh, cool. And she was there through their voyages, their, their first voyages when, in a time when Hawaii was really looking back to its roots, looking, you know, to explore, you know, our indigenous knowledge, you know, specifically in this case, you know, how, how to bring back traditional ways of navigation. So, you know, that was an exciting period and in Hawaii, and it was a great time for me to be at.

[00:05:22] You know, the hip of my mother as she was doing this work in the community, you know, she also went on to become the entrepreneur training specialist for Alulike, another community organization. And what she did was she specialized in teaching native Hawaiians how to start their own businesses. So all of the nuts and bolts of that.

[00:05:47] And she taught over a thousand students and, you know, budding entrepreneurs how to go into business for themselves. So again, you know, at, at her side through all of this, not necessarily wanting to learn, but just kind of assimilation. It was a. kind of guideposts into not only, you know, serving the community and our culture, but, you know, when I brought Nova Home to market, certainly, you know, pulled on that and actually my, my, my first work experience was at the age of 10.

[00:06:23] My mother had her own business called Wailani Originals with a goal creations and we did craft fairs and she had her product in Liberty House and McInerney. And so I would accompany her and I would sell products. And when I got old enough, she would drop me off at craft fairs. And, and I was there by myself.

[00:06:47] I think I was probably about 12 or 14 at the time. And yeah, that, that was my first entrance into entrepreneurship for sure. So how would you compare if someone is going into business now, say native Hawaiian compared to back then, what are some of the similarities and differences going into business?

[00:07:09] Well, the similarity is easy. It is the desire to tell authentic stories about our history, our culture, you know, um, our, our cultural practices, you know, what, our Aloha spirit, you know, everything that we do that we feel is unique and special in the world. Nothing's, you know, nothing's changed with that.

[00:07:34] That's, that's really what every native Hawaiian entrepreneur goes into business doing, I believe. What has changed is the business environment that has certainly changed over time. I have kind of coined it old school and new school. Old school business being you have an idea for a product, you make a product, you sell one product and then you take that, that money and you then make two products and you continue to expand.

[00:08:07] that in that fashion. At some point you want to grow, you take out a small loan from the bank, you know, you pay that back within a, you know, a really short amount of time and, and you grow your business slow and over, you know, uh, long period. And then you, you know, try to hand it down to your children. And then they take it off, right?

[00:08:31] And then, and then they run with it and quite frankly, they say, no mom or no dad, I'm gonna, I'm gonna go do something else in the world. Right. So I, and then in a juxtaposition that with new school, you know, where you have an idea You sell your idea to someone, someone on a napkin on the back of a piece of paper and then they fund your idea and then you grow and scale exponentially.

[00:09:08] You know, as fast as you, you possibly can. And so that's kind of the new school approach to business and startups. And I think as a native Hawaiian, we really have to think about how we find equilibrium between the two because, you know, the way, ways of passing on that, that, that knowledge. indigenous knowledge that you're, that you, you know, hopefully bring to your, your company and your work and your products, you know, wanting to, wanting to maintain that for the Lāhui, for the community versus just, you know, uh, for, just strictly for economic gain.

[00:09:47] So there's, there's a lot of conversation about that. And it's actually quite exciting to, you know, problem solve for, you know, how do we, how do we grow businesses authentically, but in the landscape of today's evolving business Community. Ooh, let's maybe stay there for a minute because I'm curious how you, how you as a business move forward and grow and however that is measured for your own metrics, how you, how you grow, but also how you incorporate and stay true to ancient practices and mindset and how you like, where's the, the marriage and unity.

[00:10:30] How do you practice that? So I think, you know, from a practice standpoint, it's, it's practicing the values and incorporating it into our, you know, our daily work and our activities. as how we function as a company. And so those, those guiding principles that we have not only, you know, for business, but for our families, right.

[00:10:51] Our, our, you know, the way that we personally show up in the world and taking that and, and applying that to business, you know, and kind of probably the biggest one, you know, for me and so many is Kuleana, right? Like, what is that Kuleana to, to then serve the community with what you do and in the different ways?

[00:11:11] Now, the product itself, right, like how we're, so the, the, let's just say that the spirit of Aloha, the values, you know, of, of our ancestors and our community and how we translate that is. The, the meaning behind it, the vehicle or the method that, that we currently are utilizing, right? Once upon a time, my vehicle and my, and my method was hula.

[00:11:39] That's, that's how I, I did all those things, but now it's home decor, you know? How, how do I take these big, big, big thoughts and inspiration and make it into a tiny, teeny witty little pattern and then share, you know, the story behind it of the inspiration. I also like to be very clear in that this is an artful endeavor.

[00:12:06] I, I'm not trying to, I'm not trying to reinterpret design that has come before me. I am bringing an artful eye to inspiration with a grounding in whatever knowledge I might have, Michael Honda might have, my community might have that they share with me so that I can then create, you know, beautiful works of art and design motifs.

[00:12:37] And then, you know, put it together into an experience and talk about that experience. In the beginning of this episode, I mentioned about some of your background as a keiki performer, Hula, with Don Ho. And I'm curious about, maybe you should expand on that a little bit about your background in Hula and how that has influenced, you already alluded to a little bit, but how that has influenced your designs and creative process today.

[00:13:06] Absolutely. So, my beginnings in hula was at the age of 3 with Aunty Kealoha Kalama, and I danced for her, and then I also danced alongside my mother, who at the time, so my mother was a famous dancer. She traveled all over the world. She did world's fairs, you know, dancing. She was at the Lexington Hotel, Hawaiian room.

[00:13:33] At her side, very young, I was, you know, performing in small private parties, etc. So Don Ho was a dear friend of hers. And he said, yeah, bring, you know, Bring your daughter. We'd love to have her. We'd love to pay her. And so I started working two shows a night at the Donho Show. And Donho was an icon. Every celebrity that came to town always visited.

[00:14:02] Um, the show and then came backstage to visit with Don Ho and he had a pune'e and I would sit on the pune'e with my Shirley Temple and just be a fly on the wall to this experience until the day that the, uh, liquor commission came in and you can't have a six year old or a five year old, I don't remember exactly how old I was at the time, but you can't have a Her working in a bar type atmosphere to show us a night, you know.

[00:14:36] It's coming and ruining it for everybody, man. Yeah, right? I think it's the end of my career. Well, at least until 14, when I got a pizza at the bar. And that was a night. That's awesome. Good stories. I mean, as a five, six hour old at the time, but doing two shows a night, uh, and a Shirley temple in between, that's pretty fun.

[00:14:59] Yeah. I gotta tell real stories like that. We'll talk story a little bit. Your mission statement. Emphasizes a sophisticated island experience. And I'm just curious, I think I can fill in the blanks there, but for people listening, can you expand a little bit on your mission statement as a brand? We have several missions and one of them was to elevate.

[00:15:26] Hawaiian inspired design as it's seen, you know, globally in the world. So, you know, if you Google Hawaiian decor, you will find what we consider craziness. You'll find a lot of, you know, inauthentic tiki, you'll find grass skirts and, you know, bobblehead dolls. And so, you know, we really wanted to show up in the world with some authenticity, some You know, true connection that, you know, a Hawaiian is telling a Hawaiian story.

[00:16:00] And you know, to, to kind of add to that, there is a, you know, there is a desire, I think by our community to tell our story and to amplify our story as told, you know, by us through a Hawaiian lens or a Kanaka lens, because so much of what the world sees and thinks and experience. Experiences has come through media and Hollywood.

[00:16:30] You know, so that amplification of, of those storylines, very much driven by talented people in Hollywood. So we're now kind of deconstructing that and saying, Hey, you know, these are some things that we experienced that we think are special, that connect us to our, I know our land, our ancestors, our indigenous knowledge and ways of being.

[00:16:55] And, you know, we think it's special and we want to talk about it and, and, you know, we want to share it. And so, you know, I think that's the desire of, you know, so many native Hawaiian entrepreneurs. You mentioned something kind of in passing and rather quickly about grass skirts and, and I just kind of, you know, you Google, you go to, uh, Amazon, you know, I think I put in, you know, Hawaiian shirt or whatever, like, and you get kind of a plastic listing of plastic lays.

[00:17:26] grass skirts. I'm curious because it feels like there's still a lot of people who aren't aware that that isn't culturally appropriate. Can we talk a little bit about the why behind that? And I think the main thing is just for people to be aware of what is truly culturally appropriate and what is a representation of the native Hawaiian.

[00:17:52] Absolutely. Yeah. So let me just kind of start with a bit about how I feel because you know, we I'm native Hawaiian and as a native and my mother, right? So our experience has been that we have gone out into the world and, and we have danced hula and, and we have also, we have also worn cellophane skirts.

[00:18:18] Now, I don't know that a native Hawaiian designed those costumes. They did not. They were, those costumes were designed for Hollywood. They were designed for an audience that, and they were feeding the audience what the audience wanted to, to experience. Sure. Well, I think just the paradigm shift of now.

[00:18:40] We're sharing what we want to share. We're, we're the designers of the set that, that is broadcast and elevated. So I don't want, you know, I don't really want to throw a lot of shade at, at that because that is how we were portrayed. That is how people experienced us. And quite frankly, you know, there is. We certainly want to stop cultural appropriation, but we don't want to stop cultural appreciation.

[00:19:14] That's powerful. Because without that appreciation, there is no curiosity. Without curiosity, no one has the time or energy to really learn about us as we want to show up in the world, learn about our values, learn about our culture. So there needs to have that sense of appreciation and curiosity. To, to have the space for us to come and say, Hey, you know, this is who we truly are.

[00:19:40] This is how we truly want to be represented and, and share our, share our heart, you know, share our heart with the world. So, you know, one by one, I think the community is putting out messaging products. And what we need from the greater global world is to accept that and to take it and appreciate it and enjoy it for all, for all that it is that, that we are now, you know, wanting to share.

[00:20:13] So, you know, one by one, those, uh, Those Google searches get better and better every day. Yeah. How, how do you feel about the current marketing of Hawaii as a destination? How do you feel that is going and what can be better? For some time now, there has been a desire to move to, you know, regenerative tourism and you know, breaking that down, you know, tourism that is healthy for, for the community and is responsible and actually brings.

[00:20:48] an economic driver that is sustainable for us as a, as a small island community. But really the, I think the tipping point was, was the pandemic in that you had a lot more open space, right? We were challenged to think about, well, first of all, we had a moment in time where there was no tourism, where Waikiki was.

[00:21:15] bear and bacon. I've never seen that in my life. It was actually scary to see, you know, just How empty it was, but it gave us this moment to, to pause and say, how, how can we add fuel to the fire of this regenerative tourism business model? And you didn't only have the community now. saying it. But now you had the hoteliers, you had, you know, stakeholders, you know, the convention companies really listening because there was just a pause.

[00:21:48] And we, we had the, the time and space to do that. Well, when tourism came back, it came back hot and heavy. And, and part of that was forgotten, you know, in, in the effect of, Hey, let's just get, you know, let's just ramp up. and get business going. But the underpinning of that has now really brought some traction to regenerative tourism in that we have a new entity whose, you know, role is to look specifically at creating opportunity for a more healthy tourism economy for us.

[00:22:22] And, you know, what does that really mean and how do we, how do we see ourselves within that? There's a couple of things. So one, You know, how, how do you as a, as, as a traveler, I'm going to call it, I'm going to call him a traveler. First of all, moving from a, a tourism mindset, tourist mindset to a traveler mindset and explorer, you know, having that mindset of an explorer that we're here to learn, explore, not gawk, not see, not frolic, but we're here to explore with.

[00:22:58] a sense of gratitude for the experience of being able to explore a new space and share, you know, time and company with new people. And Kilo. So the practice of kilo, which is constant observation over long periods of time to understand a concept, a person, you know, our, our aina. Um, so this practice of kilo, I think is pretty critical.

[00:23:32] If, if we could share that with you know, our travelers, in that observation is key. It's the first step to understanding. So before you jump in and experience, observe. And sometimes observation is where it stops. So especially with things like You know, our, I know, or our, our sea life, for example, right there, there's so much around, you know, uh, sea turtles, you know, wanting to interact with them.

[00:24:08] And if it could have a mindset of kilo, let's observe them from afar. Let's see, you know, their beauty. Let's see how they behave. Let's see their patterns of living. Why are they here? You know, it's, it's a curiosity and exploration by the mere fact of just observing and that mindset if you take that even further, you know, to, You know, to Kanaka, you know, really kind of sit in your thoughts and your feelings and observe how people go through their day, you know, in this, in our island home, right?

[00:24:49] And don't just gloss it over by, you know, everyone here is, is wonderful and happy and beautiful. We'll take into the fact that we live on an island home. We're a little crowded on Oahu, you know, you know, what does the housing look like in some areas, you know, and, and then think about why is that? Why, you know, and explore that not only on your stay, but after your stay, stay connected to it, to us.

[00:25:14] You know, this, this past weekend, I volunteered at the Bishop Museum during the intertribal powwow. And basically I was signing up. people for our newsletter, and then also potentially, you know, if they're interested in membership. And what I found was that a lot of visitors said, Oh, I don't live here. So no, thank you.

[00:25:34] And then it was just a moment in, you know, it was just a moment where I took to share with them that we have, uh, a lot of things that the museum does online and in collaboration with other museums and organizations across the globe. But that when they leave Hawaii, they should stay connected, you know, continue to, to learn and grow.

[00:26:00] If they were really excited about what they saw as they were exiting Hawaii Hall, think about, you know, elongating that experience, right? We just had, you know, 30 minutes of, of awe and excitement and wow. And if you stay engaged with us, you can have that all year. So that kind of mindset, you know, that's really what I would love.

[00:26:25] To be able to continue to, to talk story about and share with our travelers, you know, that's the, that's the kind of, I think, spirit that we would love to have, you know, and, and kind of to take that to, to my, to my business, to Noho Home. So we, we kind of thought about how do we show up in this? You know, in this ecosystem, right?

[00:26:47] Besides just selling products, you know, in, in retail establishment, how do we show the work that we do? You know, we, we've taken a lot of time and energy and love to build out a micro factory with innovation, you know, micro factories and mass customization are the future of fashion. And you know, we've brought that to home decor and, you know, in, We have a small, diverse team, half of us, Native Hawaiian, in Waipio, and how do we, you know, in an industrial area, how do we share that?

[00:27:24] Because on a daily basis, we are taking inspiration and we are turning it into motifs, and from motifs, we're turning it into fabric, and from fabric, we're turning it into product, and from product, you know, we are getting it to the map there. the masses, hopefully one day. And so we started doing tours. We started inviting people in.

[00:27:49] Oh, cool. And it was almost an experiment in how can businesses who are, you know, somewhat unrelated to the tourism industry show up for this model of regenerative tourism, right? So the bay next door is a gentleman who does high end audio systems for motorcycles. You know, it, it is, it is a man. Like I think all of his work, literally volunteer to, to come and work there every night.

[00:28:28] And so, yeah, I talk story with him. I'm like, Hey, you know, you could invite. And you know, a couple of guys, you know, once a week to come on in and just, you know, sit on that, a postered car seat. That's just sitting right there. Hand him a beer. And as you're working, you guys can talk story. Um, you know, think about the connection that that would bring, you know, between you and, you know, not only, you know, our community, like invite the community in and then, you know, like next level is invite the global community in.

[00:29:06] So I just pictured on, on your, your online store, like motorcycle seat covers as like, as like a product. I mean, that's cool. That's Oh yeah. We discussed that for sure. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm curious because with your travels and both within Hawaii, but also beyond how has thinking about the beyond the other parts of the world, has that influence design choices and creative inspirations?

[00:29:38] 100%. So I've actually traveled quite extensively at first, you know, dancing hula, but then, you know, yeah, as an explorer and then, you know, and then through business. So I think I've been to like 26 countries and I'm actually quite proud of my upbringing and my heritage and, uh, because I think that the way that I travel and many of us travel is that quiet exploration and observation and, you know, Um, and we love to engage, you know, we, we want to be invited into your home, you know, and sit on your, your tatami mat and, and, you know, and try to talk story, right?

[00:30:26] Like we, we want to go through that, that experience of, of what is, what does the inside of their home look like and what do they have for dinner and, you know, what do they talk about? So, you know, How's their music? Oh my God. You know, like we think it's like a bingo, you know, like the greatest thing in the world when we find, you know, a little restaurant at 2am that, you know, people are playing music and, and, you know, having some aguardiente in Colombia or some limoncello in, you know, in Cinque Terre in Italy, right?

[00:31:04] That is gold, right? To, to us. So in that. You know, I think the inspiration that I bring back is. The connecting lines, what are so similar? So in my representation of our uniqueness and our love and our values and our designs, even our designs, how do I also see that represented in the world? What will be that connection?

[00:31:32] Is it color? Is it, you know, is it sensory touch feeling? Is it the patterning itself? Will they, will they take something away from the pattern that we have? feels familiar to them and so I am, I'm constantly utilizing my travels and my exploration to create connection and experience for those that I, you know, share my patterns with.

[00:32:02] Do you guys do much with neighboring islands? Absolutely. You know, well, I, I should say that we don't do enough. I'm always asked, when are you coming to Maui or when are you coming to Hawaii? Like showing up in, in a, in a all the whole home, you know, fashion in big. Sure. We're, we have shown up with our partners.

[00:32:26] So we. are on the outer islands from a, from a product perspective in home world. So, you know, people can see, touch and feel our products. We, we attend Mary Monarch and that's probably, you know, the great joy of myself and my team, because we actually get to see, you know, So many of our customers from day one, cause they really, they really were a day.

[00:32:54] Merrimonic was really a day one for us that, that was kind of where we, um, started. Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, we turned on the, the brand online, like we turned it on in January and we basically like sold nothing until Merrimonic, you know, three months later. And that just like. Yeah. We, we had Lex Brizzy on that was a very similar kind of story.

[00:33:24] Yeah. Yeah. Lex Brizzy. Yeah. Oh yeah. There you go. You can see me. I don't know if the audience can see. Yeah. This is her latest print. I got it. I made it this year. I love hers. She's actually an inspiration for me. I am inspired by people who are younger than me. I am informed by people who are older than me, and I'm mentored by people who are older than me.

[00:33:51] I am inspired by people who are older than me. Their energy, their, their abandon of fear, they, they do not fear. And, and they put out their creative and so I'm very inspired, you know, people sometimes think like, Oh, you know, let me just get a website and I'll sell some stuff that way. I tried it. I want to have a little bit of fun and imagine you're at a dinner party.

[00:34:22] You're hosting a dinner party and you can invite three Hawaiian historical individuals. Who would you invite and why? Do they have to be alive? No, they could be alive or passed. Oh, okay. Well, home meha home meha the great. And I, I choose him because I have a lot of questions for him, uh, that as a leader and a mindset and what his thinking was, what truly the spirit of, you know, uniting the islands was around and the experience of, the first, you know, outsiders coming in and how that influenced.

[00:35:05] The first contact. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I, and then I would say Iolani Loahine as the person who kind of bridged the experience of, of hula from ancient times to modern times. I feel like she was. a bit of, you know, that, that bridge and, and that experience. And I was curious to, to know where she came from in that.

[00:35:28] And then I would just get greedy. I would just want my ohana. I love that. So while I would want, uh, while I would want to have my grandmother, you said, you said Hawaiian. So we were adopted by a family that was pure Portuguese. And when I say we, it was my mother. So my mother was adopted by pure Portuguese and love my grandma dearly.

[00:35:52] And so while I would love to have her at the table, if you said they had to have Coco, well, come on, I will take my biological grandmother because I. I don't know much about her, but I would, I would like to learn. I would like to learn about her, learn about her experience. My understanding is she did not have an easy life, but that she was a joyful person in, in, in some aspects.

[00:36:22] But I would be interested in, in learning and really just understanding her, her life experiences. I love that. Thinking about travelers, explorers listening right now, what is, and you as a traveler yourself, what's like one essential, this thing is like super practical here. What's one essential thing that you never leave home without when you travel?

[00:36:46] Well, actually, that's, that's a really good question. I am a traveler and I leave home, nothing. Uh, I pack my bags about, you know, two hours before my flight and it takes me 30 minutes. What? And. You sound like me. Yeah. It drives my wife crazy. I hate that this is, this is the case. Okay. So I'm going to give you two.

[00:37:08] See, I can't answer really simply. Yeah. Number one is my phone and a charger. Yeah. So, you know, that, that phone is my connection to. my family, my work, you know, and because I can do my work on my phone, a large part of it, but it's also my camera. I don't, I no longer take, I used to, you know, take, you know, big beautiful cameras with me.

[00:37:35] I no longer do that. I just take my phone, you know, photos and videos to bring back memories. Oh, this is gonna sound creepy, but I take something of home that grounds me so that I come back. Oh, interesting. So lately, and oh my God, you're the only person who knows and now the whole world is going to know.

[00:37:59] My daughters are going to laugh. I take my grandson, so I have a new, I have one, I have my one and only grandson. He is 16 months and I take. some article of clothing, just some article of anything. If there was a toy, I take a toy. Usually it's just, you know, a burp rag sitting around or a t shirt or whatever.

[00:38:22] And I just stick it in, stick it into my bag. And, and that is my, that's just my connection to family and, you know, make sure that I come home and I don't move to Siena, Italy and live there. Right. Yeah. That's actually a really good idea, you know, cause people visit Hawaii and like, I just want to live here.

[00:38:45] I just want to come here. I just want to live here. Like being grounded into where your community is and bringing that aloha into your community and what you've learned is, is. Listen, having that, that reminder of like, Oh yeah, I, I, I should probably go home because don't get lost. Don't get lost. Come, come home.

[00:39:03] That's a good point. This has been really fun. I know I, I mentioned your, your online store earlier, but if you could just leave people with how they can find you, anything else that you would love for people who are listening to know more about you. Oh, well, thank you for the opportunity. So our website for all of our retail, you know, residential product, nohohomehawaii.

[00:39:30] com. Uh, and then we also, for those people who are in the business community and, you know, want to partner with us, the architect and interior design community, they follow us on

[00:39:49] Nohohomecontract. com. That's where you can see all of the, the building blocks for custom and commercial products. We have an Instagram and our handle is nohohome and O H O H O M E and that's across. all of our platforms. You can find us on Macy's. com, Bloomingdales. com, In No'eau Designers. Please, when, when you're in, uh, Hawaii, try to make a stop at No'eau Designers.

[00:40:17] It is filled with native Hawaiian entrepreneurs and their mea or their goods. And it is a wonderful place to shop. Homeworlds, if you're local, you know, please visit your local Homeworld store. Bloomingdales. So we are in Bloomingdales, Ala Moana. And we also are in March and MacArthur and Foodland with our giftables.

[00:40:40] So, you know, that those are definitely places that all of our visitors stop by when they're here. Uh, you can pick up some of our products there, but thank you so much for the, the time and opportunity to share that. Absolutely. Thank you so much, Jalene. I appreciate you. Aloha and ahui hou. Mahalo for tuning in to today's episode of Hawaii's Best and a big shout out and thank you to Jalene.

[00:41:06] Again, for her time and sharing her unique insights and stories from her journey as a designer and culture ambassador. If you're inspired by Jalene's work and our conversation together, you can learn more about her and her designs by visiting their website, nohohomehawaii. com and you can follow them on all the social medias at Noho.

[00:41:26] Again, thanks so much for tuning into today's episode. We'd love to have you stay connected for future episodes and all you got to do is simply hit The follow button and when the next episode gets released it automatically be there for you So again until next time be well Aloha, mahalo for listening to this episode of hawaii's best to stay up to date on future episodes Please subscribe and visit us at hawaii's best travel dot com