Kai Nainoa of Gentle Beast—Revolutionizing the Floral Industry and Supporting Our Front-Line Health Care Workers

Hawaiian South Shore has been part of the community here in Honolulu for over 25 years, and we are always excited to see our neighbors and fellow businesses succeed. We also appreciate when people go out of their way to help better the community through acts of generosity and vision. Kai Nainoa of Gentle Beast is all of the above—a Honolulu resident and business owner who has been donating his unique skills and resources to support front-line medical personnel throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. And now his business is embarking on the next step of its journey!

Kai started his business this past year and has quickly gained a dedicated following. He caters weddings and other events, but also creates incredible arrangements for high-end boutiques throughout Waikiki and the surrounding area. A truly gifted artist, he is one of Honolulu’s best floral arrangers, yet he is also humble and lets his work speak for itself.

While many people would be content to run a successful business, Kai has also been quietly finding creative ways to support the doctors and nurses who are helping keep us healthy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. He knows that these front-line health workers are burned out and exhausted, especially with our hospitals overflowing with patients and ICUs completely overwhelmed. To help brighten their days and let them know how much they are appreciated, he has been gifting floral arrangements to front-line workers over the past year through a project called “Choose Love.” But as his vision continues to expand, he has had to find innovative ways to help cover the costs of his donations—after all, these are super high-end flowers we are talking about! To that end, he recently started a line of t-shirts called “Love Like a Beast,” which he will be selling to help fund his floral donations to Oahu’s front-line medical workers. The proceeds from t-shirt sales will go toward sustaining this beautiful mission and help support the people who are keeping us and our family members safe during this trying period.

At the same time, Kai has recently decided to move his business into a physical storefront space that is literally right next door to Hawaiian South Shore! Scheduled to launch in early October, his new shop will be located in the same building as Fishcake, which is just north of our shop. We can’t imagine a better person to have as a neighbor and are excited to see Gentle Beast expanding its presence here in Honolulu.

I encourage you all to check out Kai’s arrangements, contact him for any floral needs you might have, and support his donations by purchasing a “Love Like a Beast” shirt!