Hawaii On The Hill

What an honor to be part of the group that represented Hawaii in D.C! Kauai business owners made up over a third of the booths at the event. Way to go Kauai!! 

 Recognize your Hawaii State Officials? 

 My husband Tyler, Me and Hawaii Senator Schatz 

Every year on Kamehameha Day (June 11, a state holiday in Hawai'i), Emancipation Hall is the scene of a ceremony in honor of the king. The statue is draped with leis of flowers from Hawai'i and hula dancers per-form before portrayers of Kamehameha and Ka'ahu-manu.

 Hawaii State Senator Hirono was the one who pushed for the Hawaii On The Hill event to happen!

Kauai Mayor Carvalho showed his support and even sang at the event!

Here's a quick overview of the event best described by J Anderson, the chairman for the board of directors:

Hawaii on the Hill was a showcase for more than 1400 people to get a taste of the islands and some of the sounds with music from Willie K and Amy Hanaialii.  The event was attended by Senators, Congressmen and their staffs along with several invited dignitaries and guests.  Kauai’s contingent was accompanied by Mayor Bernard Carvalho and Administrative team member Randy Francisco.  We also were privileged to have Senate President Ron Kouchi and Senate Majority Leader Kalani English as part of our group.  In addition to displays about our beautiful island, the PMRF facility, the film industry and travel the guests were treated to complimentary Koloa Rum Mai Tai punch and then on to delicious roasted potatoes marinated in a special Kauai Rub at Salty Wahine, on to the never ending platters of Kauai Kookies and treats ending up with an overflowing cup of Kauai Coffee.  The Bikini’s drew a crowd and lots of attention.  But by far the star of the show was our military presence.  Captain Hay was overwhelmed by the number of visitors who wanted to meet him, shake his hand, and share some story of appreciation for our military.  As you can see from some of the photo’s our section of the Senate Hearing room was dangerously overcrowded.  What a hit!

Click here to see the video! 

Customer Service... from the other end of the line

Every day millions of consumers shop online and wait patiently (or not) for a shiny new treasure to arrive at their mailbox. The wait is painful – but surprisingly addictive! I have to think it stems back to the excitement of getting mail as a kid. It still makes me giddy!

But sometimes... and I know we’ve all been there… something goes wrong. Mr. Postman gets lost, or confused – the size is wrong – they shipped the wrong item – or worse I see the package arrived 1 day after I left on the vacation I’d been planning for 6 months. WHY?! (Yes, this happened to me, and the wound is still fresh!) So, I proceed to find out how to contact customer service and spend the next hour composing a “somebody done somebody wrong song” - and - if they catch me on the wrong day, I just might jump down the throat of the first person who tries to help me.

And sometimes, that’s the only way to get things done, right?

WRONG.

In this day of everything-I-want-is-online-and-I-want-it-right-NOW we've skipped over the person to person interaction and rarely see a face or smile to go with the purchases we make. Worse yet, somewhere along the way we forgot to be nice – on both ends. There are places I frequent that maybe aren't my favorite or I 'll even pay more for something just because the person on the other side of the counter is SO wonderful I can’t help but want to support them! Finding good customer service these days is like a Diamond in the Rough. (Like my Disney reference girls?) Likewise, the internet has made it easy for us to be abrupt, demanding and downright rude because we know we’ll never meet the person on the other end of that email or phone call.

But you know who is on the other end of that email or phone call?

Me. 

I’m not pointing any fingers – I’m as guilty as the next person – but being the face of customer service for KaiKini has opened my eyes in a major way. Gone are the days where I immediately assume the person on the other end of that line doesn’t care about my problem. We DO care! You’re the reason we get to make bikinis on a gorgeous little island in the middle of the Pacific. But sincerely, please be understanding as much as possible and believe we are doing our very best to make you feel the ALOHA.

I’m not saying it’s all bad!

I have to give a major shout out to our amazing customers, because for the most part, you are sweet, understanding and gracious. You have no idea how much it means when I get to post a good review about our Kinis or get a ‘Thank you for the amazing customer service.’

So, THANK YOU. You rock my world!

Top 10 reasons NOT to buy a KaiKini

1. You've done a million squats but don’t want anyone to know
   
   
   
   
   
2. You like wearing bikinis that give you diaper butt
   
   
   
   
   
3. You like it when your bikini comes off in the waves
   
   
   
   
   
4. You like to wear the same suit as everyone else
   
   
   
   
   
5. You don’t want to put a smile on your boyfriend/husband/lover's face
   
   
   
   
   
6. You don’t like Hawaii made products
   
   
   
   
   
7. You like dealing with wardrobe malfunctions
   
   
   
   
   
8. You think receiving compliments is SO annoying
   
   
   
   
   
9.  You hate going on adventures
   
   
   
   
   
10.  You like wearing drab, dull colors- bright, bold colors blind you