The Japanese ‘hana’ (花) simply means ‘flower’. In Hawaiian it means ‘craft’ (or ‘work’) and in other languages where the word is used it has a universally positive meaning, from ‘happiness’ (Arabic) to ‘hope’ (Kurdish). Using the word/name ‘hana’ for my new business creates a really nice connection to Hannah Zakari.

I had already been making tentative steps to close the ‘bricks and mortar’ part of my business, Hannah Zakari in the latter half 2021, so I was faced with the decision to stick with that plan, or bring it forward. When government announced that financial help was going to be made available I was so relieved to have a bit of breathing space…