The first storefronts returned to Lahaina’s commercial core Tuesday as the ‘Ulu o Lele Marketplace opened on the former Outlets of Maui site, marking a major milestone in the town’s recovery more than three years after the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfire devastated the community.
Developed by Hawaiian Council with support from its Kako‘o Maui Fund and a $4 million grant from the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund, the interim marketplace is opening with 17 storefronts and six food trucks. The project, which represents one of the largest concentrations of returning businesses in Lahaina’s wildfire burn zone, is designed to help wildfire-affected entrepreneurs rebuild while restoring the community’s gathering place.
Hawaiian Council CEO Kuhio Lewis said the project will have an initial two-year run and opportunities will extend from individual storefronts to food truck
operators, pop-up vendors, local crafters, and artists through planned entertainment.
Lewis said the project is an outgrowth of community engagement and recommendations from the HCF-funded Maui Business Recovery and Resilience Assessment, which indicated the community’s need for economic recovery support.
The volunteer, community-led ‘Ulu o Lele Advisory
Committee reviewed 126 applications and selected 24 businesses, prioritizing applicants affected by the 2023 wildfires or that have connections to Lahaina.
Committee Chair Mikey Burke said the vision is for ‘Ulu o Lele to become “the piko of Lahaina,” putting the community first while welcoming visitors.
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“We read every word. We felt every story,” said Burke, who was born and raised in Lahaina. “We needed to make sure that the marketplace was a reflection of our community.”
For many entrepreneurs, the interim marketplace is a symbol of homecoming, healing and hope for Lahaina’s future. One of those entrepreneurs is Brazlee Perez, a Lahaina-born business owner who lost her rental home in the wildfire and relocated with her family to Las Vegas.
After spending nearly two years away, Perez returned to Lahaina in 2025 and launched Front St Fresh, a food truck serving Mexican-inspired dishes and local favorites. Now, she sees ‘Ulu o Lele as both a business opportunity and a symbol of recovery.
“I feel healed,” Perez said. “I’m healed now. My feet are grounded on the roots that I grew up in.”
Baya Bowls owner Ceone Nojima-Jacinto has been operating out of D.T. Fleming Beach Park in Kapalua for the past two years after the wildfire displaced her foodtruck business and caused 80% of her employees to lose their housing.
“We’re really grateful to have this location up at DT Fleming’s, but we’re really excited to just get back in the community and see familiar faces again and get to serve the local community again,” Nojima-Jacinto said in a statement. “I just think it’s going to bring a lot of life back into Lahaina town that we really need and I think that everyone’s desperately missing since the fire.”
The market also will include Beyoutiful Soul Shop, Da Kine Tattoos and Collectables, Goin Left, Handmade by Heather, Hawai‘i Gelato, HENOHEA Hawai‘i, Kekai and Me, Mary Go Round Clothing Company, Maui Hub, Mina Massage Therapy, Nani Shells, One of Dakine Maui Carving, Taste Da Rootz, The Jewelry Stand Maui, Lahaina Barber Company and West Side Boba. Visitors can also enjoy offerings from several other local food vendors and food trucks, including The Funky Mug by Drift, Mr. Sub Deli, Penne Pasta Cafe and Smash Maui. Lewis said some shops are still getting ready and will open at later dates, while one of the 17 units will serve as the ‘Ulu o Lele office and a business incubator space.
The modular storefronts, which were constructed by HPM Building Supply in Hilo, measure 12 by 20 feet or 12 by 12 feet, providing 240 or 144 square feet of space.
Hawaiian Council arranged private shipping through American Marine Corporation to transport the
structures to Maui.
Lewis said during last week’s orientation meeting with the new vendors, he was taken aback when project leaders were met with tears, hugs, gratitude and saw renewed hope for the future.
“It was really emotional for us. We hear a lot about recovery, but these emotion-based stories are real,” he said. “Some of them have just given up and now they have hope.”
Eventually, Lewis said he hopes to raise additional funding to add more temporary units to the project.
“There’s space here to add more. We could potentially add another eight to 10 units,” he said.
He said re-establishing a critical mass of businesses in Lahaina will be important to recreating the community gathering place that attracted residents and visitors before the wildfires.
Lewis said it’s important for people to recognize that even some businesses that didn’t burn in the Lahaina fire still went out of business “because there was just no traffic. There were no customers.”
Maui Mayor Richard Bissen issued a statement encouraging the community “to come out, support these businesses and be part of Lahaina’s continued recovery.”
“We recognize how much our Lahaina families and businesses have been through, and what it has taken to reach this point,” Bissen said. “Many of these businesses have been part of Lahaina for generations and seeing them return alongside new businesses is an important step in bringing life and economic activity back to Lahaina’s community.”
Perez said she sees the marketplace as more than a collection of shops and food trucks.
“It’s the people who make up Lahaina,” she said. “This is a gathering place for all of us.”
Dining and Cooking