A lot of shopping with a focus on local products over three days wrapped up Sunday at Hawaii’s largest shopping mall.

The Made in Hawaii Festival, featuring roughly 300 vendors, attracted more than 20,000 shoppers at the event in its 28th year, according to organizers.

“We’re really happy with the turnout,” said Lauren Zirbel, executive director of the Hawaii Food Industry Association, which produces the event featuring locally made products from food to fashion. “People really came out supporting local businesses.”

This year’s event was not a full return to normal operations, but included improvements over the past two years that were subdued by coronavirus safety restrictions and concerns.

After many years at Neal S. Blaisdell Center, the marketplace went virtual in 2020 and then moved to part of Ala Moana Center’s Ewa-mauka parking garage in 2021 as an open-air venue but without the usual chef demonstrations or entertainment.

This year the event was held in the parking garage again, covering almost the entire fourth level, but featured cooking demonstrations by chefs from local restaurants, local beer and hard-cider tasting, comedy from Frank De Lima and live musical performances by Keilana, Melveen Leed, Bobby Moderow Jr., Hoku Zuttermeister, Kawika Kahiapo, Del Beazley, Robi Kahakalau and Kala‘e Camarillo.

Sparky Doo, owner of the Locals Only apparel brand and a longtime Made in Hawaii Festival vendor, said this year’s event represented a further rebound toward pre-coronavirus times.

“It was good,” he said Sunday afternoon, noting that typically the event ran four days, was open more hours per day and attracted more people and sales than it did this year.

Still, sales Friday at his booth selling palaka apparel broke a single-day record. “Friday was a zoo,” Doo said.

Neal “Keola” Wakazuru, owner of snack distributor Dip Into Paradise, said this year’s event was a clear improvement on 2021. “We’re just happy to get out here,” he said. “With COVID, it hurt a lot of small businesses.”

Local freelance artist Spactana was a first-time Made in Hawaii Festival vendor this year, and his expectations were exceeded for sales of his T-shirts, charms, stickers and other items featuring images derived from American cartoons and Japanese anime infused with local culture.

“We didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “It went very well.”

Spactana, who typically sells online and has attended local and mainland conventions, sold out of a lot of product and accumulated more than 50 orders. “I’ve never had that before,” he said.

Brenda Resuello, a Royal Kunia resident and veteran Made in Hawaii Festival attendee, said the mix of vendors was good this year and that the temperature was cool in the garage. But she said the lighting wasn’t great, and hopes for a return to the Blaisdell.

Still, she enjoyed the event and left with purchases Sunday that included food and jewelry.

Claudia Addison and Tracey Rouse, visitors from Memphis, Tenn., said they were impressed by how many locally made things were available.

“So many local vendors,” Rouse said. “So amazing.”

“It is awesome,” added Addison.

Zirbel said organizers had to keep a lid on customer capacity to comply with fire safety code by limiting the number of all-day tickets and offering two-hour passes as well. The two-hour admission cost $13 and full-day tickets were $35.

Organizers aim to return to a bigger venue in 2023.

“We were really confined on the space requirement,” Zirbel said. “Next year we hope to go back to normal.”