Starlet Luczon Joao
In Hawai‘i—where life moves to the rhythm of trade winds, but costs soar on the tides—Starlet Luczon Joao treads a path of purpose and resilience. She and her husband, Clint, watched as economic pressures squeezed both daily life and the dreams of local artisans in Maui, Molokaʻi and Lanai. It was this tension that planted the seed for Simply Local—a marketplace born not just of retail, but of revival.
Rooting her vision in her upbringing amidst a family-run Molokai catering business, Star has long understood how perilous it can be to sustain tradition when every shipment, every lease, every living wage leans more costly the farther one is from the mainland.
Yet rather than retreat, she opened Simply Local within Maikaʻi Market—a bright storefront tucked alongside food trucks that themselves were dislodged by the Lahaina wildfires, now given new life in community and commerce. Inside, shelves brim with island-made treasures: stickers and T-shirts stamped with Maui pride; warm Molokaʻi hot bread—a beloved staple that Star continues to bake and share; handmade jewelry; artisanal snacks; woodwork; and more, all crafted by Maui and Molokaʻi creators.
“After the Maui fire it was heartbreaking to see so many families move away from the place they have called home for multi-generations in their family. They had no home or job and with the rising cost of living here on Maui, they were forced to leave. With deep roots and a desire to keep my family here, I wanted to help others to do the same. So we are linking arms with other small businesses in our space to help generate income for our families so we can fight poverty and most of all being priced out of living here on Maui, Molokai and Lanai -- our island home.”
Through her storefront, Star has woven an economic lifeline for artisans who face high overhead due to elevated import costs and scarce retail space. At Simply Local, visitors don’t just buy—they invest in the stories, the cultures, and the families behind each piece. In doing so, the store becomes more than a business; it's a creative sanctuary, a small but mighty ecosystem where place, craft, and community converge.
About Starlet Luczon Joao:
A daughter of Molokaʻi, Starlet is the visionary behind Simply Local. Originally from the island of Molokai, Starlet has over a decade of experience in restaurant and retail management. She and her husband founded Simply Local to give artisans from Maui, Molokai and Lanai a centrally located retail space for their arts, crafts and food. Grounded in her family’s legacy of island-based food and hospitality, she channels her deep ties to place into nurturing economic creativity for artisans in a high-cost, geographically isolated context.
