The Garden Island
The Garden Island is a community newspaper serving the island of Kauai, Hawaii, in continuous operation since 1901. Owned by Oahu Publications, it delivers local news across print, web, mobile, and email channels, monetized through subscriptions, display advertising, classifieds, and special sections.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1901
- HeadquartersLihue, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Garden Island does
The Garden Island is a community newspaper serving the island of Kauai, Hawaii, in continuous operation since its founding in 1901. It is privately held and operates as part of the Oahu Publications group, which also manages the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and other Hawaii-based publications. The company is headquartered at 2970 Haleko Road in Lihue and employs between 11 and 50 people. Its core product is a daily/regular local news publication covering Hawaii news, politics, business, sports, opinion, obituaries, and lifestyle content tailored to Kauai residents.
The Garden Island's technology stack is a WordPress-based digital publishing platform, paired with a digital print-replica edition hosted at printreplica.thegardenisland.com that allows subscribers to access the printed publication online. Distribution is multi-channel: a website (thegardenisland.com), email newsletters, a mobile application, and physical home delivery of the print edition. Adjacent revenue verticals include TGI Jobs and the broader Hawaii Jobs platform, an online Classifieds section, a Real Estate Directory, and special community programs such as "Best of Kauai 2026." Subscription and account management are handled through Oahu Publications' shared account infrastructure at account.oahupublications.com.
The business model rests on three revenue streams: digital subscriptions (premium tier priced at $10/month for unlimited online access), print subscriptions (which include bundled digital access), and advertising (display, classifieds, legal notices, and sponsored/special sections). The customer base is overwhelmingly individual consumer subscribers and local Kauai advertisers, with no disclosed enterprise anchor accounts. There is no disclosed revenue figure, no venture capital or private equity ownership, and no AI or proprietary technology moat — the competitive position is built on 125 years of local brand equity and efficient-scale dominance of the Kauai news market.
The Garden Island firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Garden Island
- Legal name
- The Garden Island
- Website
- https://thegardenisland.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1901
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Garden Island is a community newspaper serving the island of Kauai, Hawaii, in continuous operation since 1901. Owned by Oahu Publications, it delivers local news across print, web, mobile, and email channels, monetized through subscriptions, display advertising, classifieds, and special sections.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Garden Island industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Newspaper
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription Platforms (Paywalls, Membership) (MPAJAMAD)
Keywords
Where The Garden Island is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lihue
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Garden Island business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Digital Subscriptions: Premium digital subscriptions providing unlimited access to online content, with tiered pricing starting at $10/month
- Print Subscriptions: Physical newspaper delivery subscriptions, with print subscribers receiving digital access as a benefit
- Advertising: Display advertising, classifieds, and sponsored content throughout the newspaper and website
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Digital subscription at $10/month |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
The Garden Island product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Garden Island publishes local news, politics, sports, business, opinion, obituaries, and lifestyle content focused on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, via its main website and a physical newspaper. It sells digital subscriptions starting at $10/month and print subscriptions that include bundled digital access, supported by a print replica digital edition. The publication also sells display advertising, classifieds, real estate listings, and sponsored content across its digital and print properties.
Product overview
The Garden Island operates as a multi-platform newspaper serving Kauai, Hawaii since 1901. The core offering consists of the main online news website delivering local news, politics, sports, business, opinion, obituaries, and lifestyle content. Supporting products include a Print Replica digital edition for subscribers, specialized job listing services (TGI Jobs and Hawaii Jobs), a Classifieds section, and a Real Estate Directory. The publication also offers email newsletters and a mobile application for content access. The products work together to provide comprehensive local coverage and community resources for Kauai residents.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Garden Island Online Edition
- The Garden Island Print Replica
Companies that use The Garden Island
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Garden Island technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
The Garden Island partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Oahu Publicationsparent_companyThe Garden Island is operated by Oahu Publications, which manages multiple Hawaiian newspapers including West Hawaii Today, Hawaii Tribune-Herald, and the Star-Advertiser. Oahu Publications handles subscription management through account.oahupublications.com.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Garden Island competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Pacific Business News: Honolulu-based regional business publication covering Hawaii. Comparable as a subscription-supported Hawaii news brand; while not focused on Kauai, it draws from the same statewide advertiser base and competes for Hawaii business readership.
- Lahaina News: Maui-based community newspaper covering a single island market comparable in scale and local-news focus to The Garden Island's Kauai franchise. Useful benchmark for small-island weekly/community publication economics.
- Molokai Dispatch: Small-circulation community newspaper serving a single Hawaiian island. Operates at a similar small-staff, hyperlocal scale as The Garden Island and competes for the same general category of community-news readership in Hawaii.
Direct peers
- West Hawaii Today: Kona-based sister publication under Oahu Publications with identical print+digital subscription mechanics. Operates as another neighbor-island daily under the same ownership structure, making it the closest functional twin to The Garden Island.
- Hawaii Tribune-Herald: Hilo-based daily and sister publication under Oahu Publications. Shares the same subscription platform, newsprint logistics, and parent back-office—directly comparable in business model and target customer (neighbor-island residents).
- Maui News: Long-standing Maui daily operating under a separate ownership structure but serving the same neighbor-island daily newspaper niche. Comparable in coverage, subscription model, and reliance on local advertisers.
- Honolulu Star-Advertiser: The flagship daily of Oahu Publications and sister paper of The Garden Island. Operates the same subscription/print+digital model and shared subscription infrastructure, making it the closest operational comparable within the same parent group.
Emerging players
- Honolulu Civil Beat: Hawaii-focused digital-first news outlet with a membership/subscription model. While based in Honolulu rather than Kauai, it competes for Hawaii news readership and digital subscription dollars from the same local audience The Garden Island serves.
- Big Island Video News: Digital-first local news outlet on a neighboring Hawaiian island. Comparable as a smaller-scale digital news subscription model targeting neighbor-island audiences in a similar niche to The Garden Island.
Broad incumbents
- Hawaii News Now: Statewide TV/digital broadcaster covering Kauai and other islands. Functions as a broad incumbent in Hawaii local news with overlapping coverage of politics, weather, and community stories that compete for reader attention and ad budgets.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
The Garden Island social profiles
Digital presenceThe Garden Island financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Garden Island leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Garden Island funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Garden Island M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Garden Island
What does The Garden Island do?
The Garden Island publishes local news, politics, sports, business, opinion, obituaries, and lifestyle content focused on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, via its main website and a physical newspaper. It sells digital subscriptions starting at $10/month and print subscriptions that include bundled digital access, supported by a print replica digital edition. The publication also sells display advertising, classifieds, real estate listings, and sponsored content across its digital and print properties.
Is The Garden Island a public or private company?
The Garden Island is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was The Garden Island founded?
The Garden Island was founded in 1901. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Garden Island based?
The Garden Island is headquartered in Lihue, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Garden Island make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Digital Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are print Subscriptions and advertising.
Who are The Garden Island's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Pacific Business News, Lahaina News and Molokai Dispatch. Direct peers are West Hawaii Today, Hawaii Tribune-Herald, Maui News and Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Emerging players are Honolulu Civil Beat and Big Island Video News. Hawaii News Now is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does The Garden Island have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Garden Island.
What industry is The Garden Island in?
The Garden Island's product category is Local Newspaper. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAMAD, Digital Magazine & Newspaper Subscription Platforms (Paywalls, Membership). Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.