Pono... Do What is Right!

Submitted by Trisha Grimley, 365 Days of Service, Kula Chapter

New store will have brief stay in Wailuku — but movement to do what’s right gaining momentum

The Maui News, December 5, 2010 - By KEHAULANI CERIZO, Staff Writer

WAILUKU - The new Pono . . . Do What Is Right! Store in Wailuku on the corner of Market and Vineyard streets is getting off to a bit of a bittersweet start. Just as the Viela family set up shop there Nov. 5, they will be closing the location on Dec. 28.

"So many people wanted the product," said Maile Viela, as she explained one of the reasons behind opening the store.

"We knew we might take a loss," her husband, Jon, added. "If we break even, we're happy."

Their popular Pono products mix material and message: The unique designs combine relevant aesthetics with a call to do what is right, or pono, in Hawaiian. From stickers, T-shirts, bags, water bottles, visors, hats and more, the Pono line appeals to locals and visitors, young and old.

Maile's mom, JoAnn, had been urging the couple to open the store, and the Vielas finally did it last month, knowing that endeavor would be a temporary, month-to-month situation. The cheap rent and good location were incentives. And the family has the support of friends who volunteer their time as the store's only staff.
"We work full time; all the people helping are volunteering. We all take turns," said Maile, who explained the store's closure is due to lacking finances, time and manpower. "We don't want to ask them for more time; we feel bad already. We're like, 'OK, thanks for working. Here's some shirts.'"

Even before opening the store, the Vielas, of Kahakuloa, knew that it would be tough to sustain without more money and more time - things that are hard to come by for the already busy parents and professionals. Jon is a guidance and health teacher at Baldwin High School and serves as the school's head baseball coach. Maile is a full-time Waihee Elementary School counselor and serves as a coordinator for other school programs. They both founded and lead the nonprofit All Pono Organization, which includes a youth sports organization that's grown to 43 teams in baseball, softball and soccer.

Despite all the extra hours and work involved, Jon and Maile see the store's short time as successful in spreading the message of Pono.

"Strangers come in who have said, 'We've been looking for you for months. Where have you been?'" Maile said with a laugh. "I tell them, 'Nowhere. We weren't around."

Before the Pono store, select products could be found for sale online and in Maui Thing store in Wailuku. Shirts range from $16 to $22; stickers start at $3; and bags, hats and water jugs range from $8 to $15. Exact sales are hard to track, but Pono . . . Do What Is Right! items have been making appearances around the world.

"We've had calls saying, 'We saw your shirt in Japan' or 'We saw your shirt in San Francisco,'" Maile said.
Still, the Pono . . . Do What Is Right! products were not created to make a profit, the Vielas echoed. All of the money put into apparel and accessories is their own, and they see the payoff in helping spread the message of living righteously.

"It's not a moneymaking venture," Jon said. "The more the message gets out there, the better."
Closing the store doesn't stop the skyrocketing momentum to their Pono . . . Do What Is Right! brand of clothing and other merchandise that can be seen on street signs, cars and clothing for youth and adults around the islands and beyond. And really, no facility, no matter how large or successful, could contain the bigger picture of pono, the call to live with integrity.

Pono's message is global. It serves as a reminder that choices don't just impact one person; decisions affect our family, our friends, our community, our world. Thus, pono runs counter to other slogans of living for self.
"It's more than just a shirt; it's a message," said Shane Dudoit, a firefighter and longtime family friend who designs much of the Pono clothing. "It's a hope that there's good out there."

Pono, as a movement, is something the Vielas are quick to say cannot be credited to their family.

"We don't take credit for this pono campaign, as big as it is," Jon said. "It's very important to every one of us. The value of pono is not because of our store, our product or our tragedy."

On June 22, 2004, the Vielas' son, Pono, who was 3 at the time, was a passenger on an all-terrain vehicle that Jon was driving when it suddenly flipped over. The boy's sudden, tragic death left a void that can never be filled for Jon and Maile, or Pono's sister, Jrae, and brother, Jai. But his legacy remains a lasting reminder for the Vielas, their friends and family to do what is right.

During a St. Anthony Mass to remember and celebrate Pono a year after his death, the family handed out 300 stickers that said, "Pono Do What is Right!" T-shirts in Pono's honor were made and Christmas cards sent off, all with the message of righteousness attached.

From there, the demand grew among family members and friends - even strangers sought out the products and its simple statement. The Vielas copyrighted the slogan in 2005, and started spreading the word about the pono movement through their nonprofit and sports organization in the same name.

The Vielas give talks on Pono, their son, and pono, the concept and way of life, to businesses, students, youth and others throughout the year. And daily, the family strives to live and breathe pono, and help others do it, too.

"Jon discusses choices, how choice affects hundreds of people around us," said Maile. "He tells his students: Your choice that you make is not going to just affect you, it's going to affect your mom and dad, your family, and everyone around you."

"I talk about attitude," Maile added. "Ten percent is what happens to you and 90 percent is how you react to it. We live by that."