Lahaina’s long-quiet Front Street is gearing up for a small but symbolic comeback. The Hawaiian Council has opened a short vendor interest form to recruit businesses, cultural practitioners and food vendors for ʻUlu o Lele, a temporary marketplace planned at the former Outlets of Maui site. The form is open only for a brief window, is not a formal application and will feed into a later request for proposals as organizers work to stand up a two-year interim market while long-term rebuilding continues.
What Organizers Are Asking For
The interest form asks prospective vendors to describe their business, connection to Lahaina, wildfire impacts, readiness to operate and potential space needs. As reported by Maui Now, Kūhiō Lewis called the form “the next step in that community-driven process” and said it will help shape the later RFP. Filling it out is essentially raising a hand, not locking in a lease: completing the form does not guarantee a spot in the marketplace.
Funding, Footprint And Timeline
The Hawaiian Council has secured a two-year lease on roughly three acres at the former Outlets of Maui and pegs construction and operations for the interim market at about $8 million, according to Maui County. The marketplace is expected to host roughly 25 to 50 local vendors and help sustain an estimated 90 jobs, with the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation committing a $4 million grant toward the effort. The County currently anticipates ʻUlu o Lele will open in September 2026.
Community Oversight And Priorities
An advisory committee of local leaders will guide who ultimately lands in those stalls. Members include Mikey Burke, Tambara Garrick, Joel Navarro, Nestor Ugale Jr. and Jade Rojas-Letisi. Burke told Maui Now that starting with an interest form helps the committee understand which vendors are ready to go and what support others may need to get there. Organizers say they will prioritize Lahaina- and Maui-based, locally owned businesses that reflect the town’s culture and identity.
How To Apply And What Comes Next
Prospective vendors can complete the Vendor Interest Form at www.uluolele.com. The portal is open from July 16 through July 26, 2026, and responses will help shape a formal Request for Proposals that the Hawaiian Council expects to issue next. Organizers say they plan active outreach so local businesses have a real shot at applying, not just those already plugged into the process.
Local reporters note that ʻUlu o Lele is intended to be the first project to bring storefronts back to Front Street during recovery, according to Hawaiʻi Public Radio. For many in Lahaina, that interim marketplace is less about temporary tents and more about testing what a revived commercial heart might look like.
