Since the first International Women’s Day gathering in 1911, this global movement has celebrated women’s successes each year while steadfastly working to advance gender equality and eliminate discrimination and stereotypes.
Join us in celebrating International Women’s Day 2025 on March 8 by supporting Kailua Town’s many women-owned businesses. Meet some of these inspiring entrepreneurs below and find a list of more wahine-led companies in Kailua here.
Plus, check out Kailua Town’s IWD social media giveaway, March 8, featuring a $200 prize package from women-owned businesses in Kailua: $100 to Out to See, $50 to Paia Fish Market & $50 to Lanikai Bath & Body.
Vonella Davies, Owner
Vonella Davies has been a business owner since she was 18 years old, allowing her the freedom and flexibility to have the lifestyle she enjoys, including raising her children. Opening her luxury salon in 2024 was a dream come true, allowing her to share her passion for uplifting women and her years of experience in the beauty industry with the Kailua community. “I love how supportive this community has been,” she affirms. “I love the close relationships I build with my clients, the sense of trust and support, and the opportunity to see the direct impact of my work.” For women looking to start their own business, Vonella offers this advice: “Start before you’re ready. Perfectionism and fear can hold you back, but progress comes from taking action. Launch, learn, adjust and bloom.”
Hiromi Leong, Co-Owner
Hiromi Leong is the creative energy behind the design of Kailua Town’s newest café, serving craft coffee and premium matcha. Together with her business and life partner, Josh Leong, she has brought together their community of tea farmers, designers, architects, and craftspeople from Japan, Hawaii, and California to create a peaceful space to sip and unwind. Guests can retreat to Ando’s shaded garden patio or settle inside the café with its sleek, modernist interior inspired by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando. “We like that Kailua is a small, tight-knit community that supports each other and provides a vibrant place to raise a family,” says Hiromi. Her words of wisdom for other aspiring women entrepreneurs: “Find a shiba inu who will be your friend for life; he will support you physically and mentally.”
Lori Goodgame, Owner
After devoting 20 years working for companies like Ralph Lauren, Coach, and Sand People, Lori Goodgame was ready to invest her energy into a lifelong dream: opening a boutique in her Kailua hometown. As a novice small business owner – in the middle of the COVID pandemic – she curated a collection of over 60 local artists, eco-friendly options, brands giving back, and unique products that are hard to find in Kailua. It was a leap of faith she will never regret. “As a woman and mother it is not hard to want to create a sense of ohana in all that you do,” Lori says. “I have found such an amazing team that feels like a natural extension of my own family.” She encourages other women to seek out their own mentors and networks of peers. “They offer incredible advice and expertise in times of need.”
Chef Bianca Alsip-Freeny, Owner
Bianca Alsip-Freeny is a classically trained chef whose inspiration for Lilikoi Kitchen grew out of her desire to connect with the local community through exceptional food and warm, welcoming service. Her soon-to-open (March 8th) Lilikoi Kitchen in the Kailua Village Shops is an expanded version of her original sidewalk café of the same name. It offers an extended menu or breakfast, brunch, and small plates options, including artisanal paninis and baked goods, food truck-style garlic shrimp, macadamia nut pancakes, and other Lilikoi Kitchen favorites. Bianca loves being a female business owner and finds it empowering to see her ambitions and hard work come to fruition. She offers these words of encouragement to other women: “Staying motivated and keeping your tenacity to chase your dream is where the magic happens.”
Brook Gramann & Yvette Ho’okano LaRue, Co-Owners
As Kailua was blossoming into the vibrant beach town it is today, and with national retailers starting to move in, Brook Gramann and her late business partner, Gloria Garvey, thought, “Why not create our own Kailua-based brand right here in our hometown?” After much research and consulting with experts in the field, Lanikai Bath and Body was created in 2005, a contemporary, all-natural collection of “life’s necessary luxuries” with true fragrances inspired by Hawaii’s fruits and flowers. Five years ago, Brook’s cousin Yvette Ho‘okano LaRue became a partner in the company. They are committed to mentoring their staff, supporting other local entrepreneurs, and giving back to the community by donating products and contributing to such organizations as the Domestic Violence Action Center, Habilitat, and Hawaii’s veterans community.
