Līhue's Kilohana Lighting named finalist for U.S. showroom award

Kilohana Lighting’s Līhue showroom has been named a finalist for the 2026 U.S. Showroom of the Year Awards, putting one of Kauai’s main lighting suppliers in a national field judged on merchandising, customer service, employee education and community involvement.

The finalist slot places the family-owned business in the $2 million to $5 million annual-revenue category, alongside other independent lighting retailers across North America. Dallas Market Center, which runs the awards with Lighting News Now editor-in-chief Linda Longo, said retailers were also evaluated on marketing and advertising, employee education and how they engage with the community. Finalists can also be considered for specialty honors including Outstanding Merchandising Display, Exceptional Community Involvement and Showroom of the Future.

For Kauai’s homebuilding and renovation market, the recognition matters less as a trophy than as a signal that a local showroom has built enough scale and expertise to compete beyond the island. Kilohana Lighting says it operates from 4210 Hanahao Place in Līhue, with about 3,500 square feet of showroom space and a 7,000-square-foot inventory warehouse. The company serves Kauai, Oahu, Maui and Hawaii Island, and its mission is to provide, promote and educate retail and business clients on the most current lighting products, techniques and ideas.

That combination of showroom, warehouse and technical knowledge is the part residents and contractors feel most directly. It can mean better access to current fixtures, more guidance on product selection and fewer delays when builders, interior designers and homeowners need lighting that fits island projects. The award itself does not change pricing or labor costs, but it does highlight a local business that has become part of the island’s practical infrastructure, not just its retail landscape.

Susan Irie founded Kilohana Lighting in 1993 after being stranded on Kauai by Hurricane Iniki during her honeymoon. NOAA describes Iniki as the strongest and most destructive hurricane to hit Hawaii in recorded history, and the Hawaii Department of Defense says its eye passed directly over Kauai on Sept. 11, 1992. Irie, an Indiana University graduate, has long emphasized hands-on service and business growth, and the company says that approach is central to its identity.

Kilohana Lighting has been here before. It won Best Lighting Showroom in the Western United States in 2011 and was a finalist for the 2015 Showroom of the Year Awards. The 2026 awards ceremony is set for June 25 at 6 p.m. on the Trade Mart 3 Loft Main Stage during Lightovation in Dallas, a four-day trade show running June 24 through 27.