Rice Street nonprofit opens community hub, business incubator with coffee shop, cocktail bar

A new Kauaʻi community hub and coworking space in Līhu‘e is providing classes, events and a leg up to local entrepreneurs, along with an on-site coffee shop that turns into a cocktail bar when the work day ends.

The Hale Līhu‘e community hub, located on Rice Street opposite the top of Kress Street, is leased and operated by the nonprofit Rice Street Business Association.

The 3,000-square-foot building’s ground floor includes an event space behind a dual coffee shop and bar intended to facilitate community gatherings. Upstairs, the Hale’s coworking space will benefit qualifying businesses that serve Kaua‘i.

“People can have a place to create, collaborate and do all the things that they love,” said Addison Bulosan, a county council member and business association volunteer.

Bulosan led the grand opening at Hale Līhu‘e on Wednesday. He credited the project to partners like the local Chamber of Commerce and funding that includes a two-year, $145,000 Small Business Administration grant, multiple Hawai‘i Tourism Authority grants and a $10,000 donation from the Hale’s title sponsor, Hawaiian Telcom.

The Hale event space soft-launched in January with an ongoing weekly schedule of events that includes meditation, yoga and exercise classes, and a book club. Classes sponsored by the Rice Street Business Association are donation-based, while events led by private organizers who rent the space may charge fees.

The upstairs coworking space resembles a typical home with a kitchen, living room and office space featuring a crib. It is available for use at daily, weekly and monthly rates and was designed with entrepreneurs raising young families in mind.

Daily coworking passes cost $50 while a monthly pass with 24/7 access costs $300. Applicants with businesses that provide Kaua‘i-based products or services, or serve families or Native Hawaiians, will be given priority.

“We’re a little bit more selective than most coworking spaces,” Bulosan said. “We’re not looking for anyone that just wants to come through. We’re looking for locally-owned businesses.”

Entrepreneurs welcomed into the coworking space will benefit from free business classes and workshops offered by the Rice Street Business Association. The association also will provide assistance with promotion and product rollouts at events like night markets and art nights.

Bulosan also is a co-owner of Hā Coffee, which did business from a repurposed bus parked on Kress Street, but has moved into Hale Līhu‘e and will begin operations under a sublease on Feb. 24.

Kaua‘i Island Brewing Company, a craft brewery with locations in Port Allen and Kōloa, is projected to join Hā Coffee this May. The brewery will take over the coffee shop each afternoon to serve spirits, draft beer and pupus.

Visit dowtownlihue.com/communitycenter for more information.