Recently, we recognized National Small Business Week — a chance to celebrate all the mom-and-pop shops and local entrepreneurs who keep Hawaii running. They are the heart and soul of our community. They are what makes Hawaii, Hawaii. When the pandemic hit, thousands of our local businesses — big and small — adapted to the changing economic landscape and showed remarkable resilience during a time of uncertainty.

When I started Aloha Ke Akua Clothing Co., I had just graduated from the University of Hawaiii at Manoa. I was tasked with making T-shirts for our church on Maui, and decided to have some fun by creating other designs. My friends and I put them on a few shirts and gave them to loved ones to wear. It eventually became our business.

We started small, slowly growing our business by selling a few shirts online, while we worked to expand our reach. Using the profits we made, we were able to invest in our own printing equipment. It allowed us to grow our business, which in turn, enabled us to create unique designs and one-of-a-kind products.

The community supported us even before the pandemic. So when COVID-19 struck, we did our part to try and help those who could not afford rent or other basic needs by putting our business on hold and encouraging our followers to donate what they could to help those who needed it most.

But it wasn’t just our neighbors who struggled. The pandemic triggered challenging times for all small businesses in our community, but our established online presence carried us through. Without face-to-face sales and pop-up events, social media became our greatest marketing tool. We took advantage of Facebook Shop and Instagram Reels to share our story. We increased our activity across these platforms, which resulted in better sales than prior to 2020. We ended up making three to four times more in profits.

We soon learned that we weren’t alone in this digital pivot. Across the nation, businesses are turning to online services. According to a recent study, 52% of operational small and medium businesses in Hawaii, Alaska and the Pacific Region reported at least a fourth of their sales came from having a digital presence. It’s no doubt the pandemic encouraged more people to support local business and shifted their shopping experience from brick-and-mortar stores to online.

Today, tomorrow and all year long, let us continue to support our small businesses all across Hawaii. The challenges brought by this pandemic continue to impact all of us and we should continue to extend a helping hand to our neighbors and small businesses, as we all try to rise above this pandemic. The Bible says, “Let all that you do be done with love.” We all may have varying opinions on the issues our community is facing today, but the need for aloha in our daily lives has never been greater. We pray that our small and humble business can continue to be a light and encourage people to live with aloha.

Jared Nagura is the owner of Aloha Ke Akua Clothing Company, based in Upcountry Maui.