“We felt that the holiday cheer of the decorations and the lights would help to bring out some joy for the people here,” said Ace Lahaina Senior Department Manager Korlleen Puou.

LAHAINA — Tough economic times have cast a dark cloud over the community, but despite the hardship, the bright spirit of the West Side shines through at the local Ace Hardware store on Wainee Street at Lahaina Square.

The Lahaina hardware store was one of the first retail outlets on Maui to get into the holiday spirit this year and have put out the extra effort to bring joy to the community.

According to Ace Lahaina Senior Department Manager Korlleen Puou, more than 3,000 decorative lights have been strung, decorations have been set up throughout the store and up on the roof, and interactive character cutouts have been set up for all ages to enjoy.

“We felt that in these recession times, we should try to give back to the community,” said Puou. last week during a work break at the store.

“We also have silhouette cutouts of Santa Claus, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Santa’s reindeer, Snoopy, SpongeBob and much more. These are interactive cutouts that you can take your own picture to enjoy. We hope that all will come down to enjoy the Christmas spirit.”

Puou explained that the Christmas train decoration on the roof is named the “Kina ‘Ole.”

“This kind of goes along with the Ace Hardware mission statement to ‘Do it right the first time,’ and we hope that here at this Lahaina store, we can help you get it done right and enjoy some holiday cheer at the same time,” Puou said.

Ace Hardware Lahaina, “The friendly place to shop,” is open every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.