Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 13, Number 11, 1 November 1996 — Embroidery Shop gets technical but holds on to dying art By Kelli Meskin [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Embroidery Shop gets technical but holds on to dying art By Kelli Meskin

The Embroidered Gift Shop is the only listing of freehand embroidery services available in the Yellow Pages. "[Freehand is] a dying art," Owner Rachel Rapez said. Chinese characters and large orders such as flags and banners need to done by hand, Rapez said. Those who request Chinese

cnaracters need to bring in the writing exactly

as they want it sewn or Rachel won't do it. A mistake could change the whole meaning of the character, she said. Rapez toId a story a gentleman who had his name embroidered on his belt by another business,

ana asKea Kaenei s aunt wny peopie were laughing at his name sewn on his belt. Her aunt understood Chinese and told him it wasn't his name, instead it said "me dog." Rapez enjoys the art and challenge of embroidering Chinese characters. She bought the Embroidered Gift Shop in 1978 from her aunt and unele. The store was originally opened in the 1950s. In 1981 they opened a second embroidery store at Pearl Harbor in the Navy Exchange. An OHA loan from the Revolving Loan Fund Program helped Rapez buy two computerized embroidery machines for her Nu'uanu store. The machines ean embroider detailed and difficult jobs quickly. "We're able to take in more work," Rachel said, "by having the machines it really got us updated."

1 The older machines went to the Pearl Harbor store where her daughter, Verna Rapez, is the manager. The Pearl Harbor store gets mainly uniform orders and basic jobs. "We had no idea what we were getting into," Verna Rapez said referring to the Pearl Harbor store. They didn't antic-

ipate the A amount oi work the mil- | itarv would eive .

them. Because of all the jobs | they've done and the poIicies they've learned, they ean now say they specialize in uniforms and other military needs. The military is one of the biggest

clients they have, Verna said. She would like to see their shop expand to other military bases. The regulations around military uniforms are strict and changing regularly. Name and rank are required on all uniforms and so they have a steady stream of work to do.

"We're educated by the customer; they bring the regulation to us so we ean do it right," Verna Rapez said. The Nu'uanu store has a variety of clients from Wendy's, Domino's Pizza, Pearlridge Shopping Center to many beauty pageants such as Miss Cherry Blossom and Miss Filipina. Rapez said she's even had odd requests for a pair women's underwear to be embroidered. " They're hard to embroider," Rapez laughed. The new machines have helped the Rapez family reap what they've sewn. Rapez has already paid half of her loan and is very grateful to OHA's help. "They stepped in when nobody else wanted to help us," Rapez said. "I desperately needed these machines." "We're still in the tunnel but the light is getting a little brighter," she said.

uals and they fight for the return of Hawaiian land. He also applauds, through the voices in his book, the evolution of eanoe racing, surfing and music and their practice outside of Hawai'i. "Nā Mamo - Hawaiian People Today" is an entertaining eompilahon and is simply informahve of the history of how things became. How the Hawaiian language was almost extinguished, the taking of Kaho'olawe whieh through protests and lives lost the island was returned, the overthrow of Queen Lili'uokalani and today's move toward Hawaiian self-determinahon. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs helped finance the creahon of this book along with other organizations such as Hawaiian Airlines, ine., the Kawānanakoa Foundation, The Estate of James Campbell and many others. The book may be viewed on the internet, with Landgraf's photos, brief chapter summaries and various chants and songs. The web site address is: http: / /www.lava.net/ namamo. Landgraf's photographs will be on display at the Lahaina Cannery Mall through December 5. Informahon about this exhibit is also on the internet at http://www.bishop. hawaii.org/bishop/ exhibits/ traveling.html#Na Mamo. "Nā Mamo — Hawaiian People Today" will be available through 'Ai Pōhaku Press for a special rate through November 10, for Hawai'i residents. A special rate for mainland residents is available through December 31, 1996.

^he £ntl>tōibe.?ei £kef> Downtown — 1121 Nu'uanu Ave.,suite 106 533-6104 Pearl Harbor — 1237 Pearl Harbor 422-6378

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Rachel Rapez of the Embroidered Gift Shop displays a flag she stitched in freehand. īhe flag took two months to eomplete.