After owning and growing his iconic business at the end of Old Volcano Road for 18 years, Ira Ono is selling Volcano Garden Arts.
Ono has lived in Volcano since 1980 and has been a fixture in the Big Island art community for decades.
He first became interested in the 2.7-acre property, which was once part of the 1908 Hopper Estate, when he rented the space with four other artists 20 years ago.
“One year later, the original owners were selling, and knew I would be a good caretaker for the property,” Ono said. “After 20 years, I still enjoy being the steward here; I absolutely love what I do. But now it’s looking good, the trees are tall, and I just feel I’m ready to go on to the next act.”
While Ono is ready to sell, he will be taking his time finding the right buyer, because the four businesses on the parcel will be part of the purchase, along with the buildings, greenhouses, tree sanctuary and landscaped grounds.
“I want the business to continue. There have been such great people that have worked with me and been part of this for years,” Ono said. “Volcano Village is quite cultural, and I believe VGA will continue to provide a service for the community.
“There are 100 local artists from around the state featured in the gallery, and I want them to be able to keep their work here and still get checks from time to time.”
The businesses include the art gallery, Café Ono, a wedding business and the Volcano guest cottage, which could be rented by one to two visitors.
VGA has become a meeting space for writing groups, art classes, hula performances and other community events. It also is a main stop for the Volcano Artists Studio Hui Tour and Experience Volcano Festival.
Ono is part of the artists hui, which is a group of about 14 working artists, many who own studios or galleries in Volcano.
The hui has existed for over 35 years and is best known for hosting the annual studio tour and sale every Friday, Saturday and Sunday following Thanksgiving Day.
The busiest times for Volcano Village are usually when Kilauea volcano is erupting, but Janet Coney, general manager of Kilauea Lodge and Restaurant, has seen the art community attract more visitors to the area, especially during the annual studio tour.
“Volcano has always been known as an artist community, and that is one of the reasons that bring people to our area,” said Coney. “Volcano Garden Arts, as well as the Volcano Art Center and all the other wonderful artists here in Volcano, continue to enhance the experience that one receives when visiting our wonderful community.”
When the 2018 Kilauea eruption caused the closure of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Volcano businesses saw a decline in visitors and wanted to find a way to boost tourism to the area.
Ono and Coney — along with Lorna Larsen-Jeyte, Marilyn Nicholson, Jesse Tunison, Kathleen Golden, Mike Nelson and Jeffrey Mermel — were founders of Experience Volcano Hawaii, an organization that works to promote the Volcano area as a thriving community and gateway to HVNP.
They have now hosted four of the annual festivals, where visitors can walk or drive to locations across town to visit smaller vendors, watch live entertainment, participate in cultural discussions, and browse through art.
After dedicating many years to VGA and working to promote Volcano Village, Ono’s next move is all about his craft and diving deeper into painting, sculpting and fine art.
“I love starting things, challenging myself, making it happen and going onto the next project. This has been a great ride, and I still love everything I’m doing here,” Ono said. “It turns out that any (free) time I get, I go to the art studio. I think I’m ready to focus on my art and go back to things I haven’t done in a long time.”
Although he’s selling VGA, Ono has always been a people person and wants to make it clear that he will not be leaving Volcano Village and its growing artist community.
“The community is very vibrant and cultural, and there are new people coming in, bringing with them knowledge, information and more culture,” Ono said. “I am immersed in the arts community and want to continue to be part of it. I feel good about the direction Volcano Village is going.
“Being adjacent to the national park, Volcano is a strong, spiritual place. I can’t imagine moving back anywhere.”
Volcano Garden Arts is listed for $1.5 million and can be found at volcanogardenarts4sale.com.
For more information, contact Ono at iraono@hawaii.rr.com, or (808) 967-7261.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
