The Santa Dolls Artisan

Hawaii's Santa Doll lady, Ione Adams, was born and raised in the islands and never saw real snow as a child.

But she certainly knew about Santa Claus... and this developed into a genuine love affair with the Christmas holiday season.

As a young girl, her Mom made sure Ione learned how to sew. In fact, without this blossoming talent her wardrobe as a teenager would have been a little sparse.

Little did she know that basic skill would ultimately help her become one of the most artistic Santa Claus doll creators in the world.

Ione was fine apparel buyer for a prestigious department store in Hawaii (since purchased by Macy's). Prior to retiring, she managed the Neiman Marcus fine apparel division in Hawaii.

Her professional experience gave Ione numerous opportunities to meet and interact with world reknown fashion designers and manufacturers.

The knowledge she gained from this ongoing affiliation is exemplified by the unique quality of her collection.

Today, Ione lives on the windward side of the Island of Oahu nestled against the foot of the Koolau mountain range. This setting has been so inspiring for her that she decided to name her company after it.

Over The Koolaus was formed in 1995 and Ione has been creating santa dolls ever since.

This newspaper article about her Santa doll talent provides more background.