Why we do this
Empowerment through work, independence, and inclusion.
Blind Vendors Ohana is one of Hawai‘i’s largest providers of funding support for Hawai‘i’s blind residents. We exist to turn retail space into opportunity. Of our 90-plus employees, roughly 40 percent are blind or disabled, and each holds a meaningful job with steady hours, dependable pay and a safe setting where they can build confidence and take ownership of their day.
The reach goes well beyond our own payroll. Blind Vendors Ohana is one of the largest funding providers for Hawaiʻi’s blind residents, paying for the training, equipment, and scholarships that help other blind entrepreneurs open businesses of their own.
Work
Reliable, meaningful jobs in a high-volume retail environment, with the training and equipment to succeed in them.
Independence
Blind entrepreneurs receive startup equipment, training, and ongoing support to operate businesses they own.
Inclusion
Our team serves travelers from around the world every day, in the spirit of aloha, at the front door of Hawaiʻi.
About us
Blind Vendors Ohana opened at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in 1994. Its founders — Thomas Morikami, the late Walter Ishikawa, and the late Filo Tu — were three licensed blind entrepreneurs who saw what a cluster of airport convenience stores could do for Hawaiʻi’s blind and disabled community if the profits stayed here.
Three decades on, the company is still locally owned and blind-owned. We support the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation in giving residents, visitors, and airport workers a top-quality experience in the spirit of aloha, and we remain the single largest private funder of services for blind residents in the state.
That work rests on a legal foundation built over 90 years. The federal Randolph-Sheppard Act gives blind entrepreneurs priority to operate businesses on federal property, and Hawaiʻi’s own law extends the same priority to state and county property. Hawaiʻi’s program is administered by Hoʻopono Services for the Blind, a branch of the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services Hawaiʻi Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.
Congress passes the Randolph-Sheppard Act, giving blind entrepreneurs priority to operate businesses on government property.
Hawaiʻi passes HRS 102-14, extending that priority to state and county property.
Three licensed blind entrepreneurs establish Blind Vendors Ohana at the airport.
Ten stores, all airport vending, and 60% of profits returned to programs for the blind.
Read the transcript
Narrator / Audiobook: "The sharp looking stone rested in the elastic pouch as he points the weapon right at them. You girls ain't going nowhere. Rusty's pleased," she exclaimed. "I'd forgotten what a shock the sight of it is." "You're not kidding, Nancy," George said to me, shaking his head as she sat beside Nancy in the front seat. "Total gross out. It's more like pigs," she added. "Gross," Beth said with a shiver. "Let's get out of here." She grabbed Nancy and George by the arm and pulled them back a step.
Mara Onichu: At age three, I started developing a high fever. I was not sleeping. I was crying nonstop until one day the fever just got so high my eyes started to close and just didn't open anymore. I was diagnosed with spinal meningitis. My auntie started crying. She was told that I wouldn't even be walking or living on this earth, but I'm here now.
My name is Mara Onichu. I am 22 years old. I was born in the island of Chuuk, but was raised in Guam. I could see light and shadows. Let's say if you stand in front of me, I'll see you, but I won't see the details of how you look.
I didn't encounter another blind person until fifth grade. I created my own imaginary friends because people didn't really see me as somebody to hang around with. It hurts to be excluded.
I've been thinking about Hawaii since I was really young. Even though I knew it was going to be difficult, I fought hard to come here. My dad's passing was a motivation to just go. I was not in that state of mind where I wanted to depend on anyone anymore.
When I stepped off the plane in Hawaii, two blind people came to pick me up in the taxi cab. I was like, "Wait, so it's just the two of you? Did you guys drive here?" I felt excited like, "Yes, I finally get to live."
Ho'opono is a school for the blind here in Hawaii. They offer education for technology, cooking, and teach a lot about Braille and how to go about your life as an adult. I was really eager to find a way to make a living. I found Blind Vendors through Ho'opono. Blind Vendors is a business that has convenience stores at the airport.
I was so nervous because I thought the interview would turn out pretty nerve-wracking, but I survived it. I finally got a call from my supervisor and she was like, "Okay, you got the job." I was overwhelmed with excitement.
Supervisor: Hi Mara. Good to see you. So here at Blind Vendors Ohana, we operate 10 stores in the Honolulu airport. We're a 100% local company. We're here to give people a start, a new job, a new chance at something that can get them up a step.
We have no targets for sales. We're not trying to be pushy. Our employees can do it and we believe that they can do it. We just want to help them to develop themselves and be independent. I think a lot of people that have disabilities, because they were put down so much, don't have that morale. So to be able to progress, you've really got to say, "I'm going to take that challenge."
Mara Onichu: There was a lot of training involved and it took a lot of time before I came to this moment where I'm an employee. All right, your total today is $18.95. Ma'am, how would you like to pay? Thank you so much!
I love dealing with customers. I'm working at the airport and people are flying in and out, and I'm more concerned about their flight. Some customers are patient. Even though they are in a rush, they're nice enough to be patient. But then there's other people who are like, "Hurry up, I got to get to my flight."
To be honest, my favorite part of working at Blind Vendors is the sound of the cash register. I just like the sound and how I have to take out the coins. I'm just weird like that. Here you go, ma'am. You have a nice day!
Coworker: Everybody's friendly, very helpful, smiley, and kind. Everybody just knows how to work together. There's a value that comes with working here. It allows you to grow, it allows you to meet people, and I think it just gives people purpose. Next month I'm going to be 76 and I'm still here. As long as I'm enjoying it, why should I retire, right? I'm getting paid to be happy.
Mara Onichu: I do find it very inspiring to be able to work with different people with different abilities. Even though you may be suspicious of our capabilities, it's better to just give us a try. Now that I'm working, I feel much greater, much better. I like the feeling of keeping myself busy. It feels good to have a responsibility.
I had to be around people like me to finally have that confidence and just do me. Everybody is a human being. Everybody deserves a chance. Just because you have a different skin color, different race, or different whatever, everyone should have the opportunity.
Where the money goes
Every dollar of profit from our stores and vending machines splits two ways — and the larger share never leaves the community.
- 30+
Years serving travelers at the airport
- 10
Stores, plus every vending machine in the airport
- 40+
Blind vendor locations supported statewide
- 60,000
Travelers a day pass through the airport
What you’ll find in our stores
More than 100 Hawaiʻi merchants stock our shelves, offering more local choices than any other retailer at the airport, at prices that won’t make you pay a premium for shopping at the gate.
Newspapers and magazines
Something to read on long flights over the Pacific or on your short island hop.
Snacks and local treats
Chocolate-covered macadamias, shortbread cookies, crack seed, and the island snacks residents pack to bring home.
Cold drinks and coffee
Water, juice, soda, energy drinks, and coffee, both on the shelf and in vending machines at the airport.
Travel essentials
Chargers, earbuds, sunscreen, over-the-counter medicine, and whatever got left on the kitchen counter.
Made in Hawaiʻi products
Cookies, snacks, chips, candies, honey, and much more sourced from more than 100 Hawaiʻi merchants and small business producers.
Vending, around the clock
We operate all vending machines at the airport, so a snack and a cold drink are never far from your gate.
Pages & Pages is becoming Lele Marts
Our 10 stores are taking a new name. Lele Marts celebrates the company’s long history in Hawaiʻi, its local ownership, and its commitment to employing and empowering blind and disabled residents.
We’re modernizing the look and layout of the stores at the same time to match how people travel now. One recent step is bringing Square point-of-sale technology to every store, with voice-enabled checkout that enables both sighted and non-sighted staff to process transactions faster with technology our whole team can use.
The Hawaiian word “Lele” — meaning “to fly, hop, or skip” — connects naturally to air travel while also capturing the idea of a convenient place to hop into on the way to your next destination. “Marts” communicates the breadth of what each store offers.
Common questions
The things travelers, local makers, and future vendors ask us most. If your question isn’t here, get in touch with us.
Where are your stores inside the airport?
We operate 10 stores throughout Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, plus all vending machines on the property.
Interisland Store – closest to the Interisland Food Court, A13-A19 gates, Terminal 1
Central Store – closest to Security Checkpoint 3 and D gates, Terminal 2
Diamond Head Store – closest to F gates, Terminal 2
YCON Store – closest to E gates, Terminal 2
G3 Store – closest to G gates, Terminal 2
C4 Store – closest to C gates, Terminal 2
D1 Store – closest to D gates, Terminal 2
Bookstore – closest to Security Checkpoint 4 and F gates, Terminal 2
Makai Store – closest to A20, B1-B5 gates, Terminal 1
Mauka Store – closest to A1-A12 gates, Terminal 1
Look for the Lele Marts sign — some locations still carry the Pages & Pages name while the rebrand rolls out.
What does “blind-owned” mean here?
It means exactly what it says. Blind Vendors Ohana was founded by licensed blind entrepreneurs, it is still owned by blind entrepreneurs today, and nearly 40 percent of our 90-plus employees are blind or disabled. We operate under the federal Randolph-Sheppard Act, which gives blind entrepreneurs priority to run businesses on government property, and under Hawaiʻi’s own HRS 102-14 for state and county property.
Where do the profits from the stores actually go?
Sixty percent of the profits from our stores and vending machines is dedicated to programs for the blind, through Hoʻopono Services for the Blind and the Hawaiʻi Foundation for the Blind. That money pays for equipment, facility renovations, training, and scholarships across more than 40 blind vendor locations statewide. The remaining 40 percent keeps our own stores running and our people employed.
How can I pay in your stores?
All 10 stores run on Square point-of-sale, so we take cards and contactless payment, and receipts can be emailed or texted. The system is voice-enabled, which means blind and sighted staff work the same register. Cash, credit card, and select airline vouchers are accepted at our stores. The vending machines are in the process of becoming cashless (credit card only).
A vending machine took my money. What do I do?
Get in touch and we will make it right. It helps if you can tell us roughly where the machine was, which terminal or gate you were near, and about what time it happened. Email us at contact@blindvendorsohana.com and we will take care of the issue promptly.
I make a product in Hawaiʻi. How do I get it on your shelves?
We stock goods from more than 100 Hawaiʻi merchants and are always looking at new local products. Share with us what you make and your wholesale terms by emailing contact@blindvendorsohana.com.
Are you hiring?
Of our 90-plus employees, about 40 percent are blind or disabled, and openings come up across all 10 stores. Please email us at contact@blindvendorsohana.com to inquire about job opportunities or to request a job application.
Get in touch
For more information about Blind Vendors Ohana and its support of Hawaiʻi’s blind and disabled residents, reach us any of these ways.
Visit or write
Blind Vendors Ohana, Inc.300 Rodgers Blvd, Unit 56
Honolulu, HI 96819
Call
Our shops are located throughout Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Hawaiʻi’s main gateway for interisland, continental U.S., and international travel. Look for us before your flight.