Post #18740 by Kailuageoff on Wed, Jan 8, 2003 8:50 PM

Daytona is about an hour's drive from where I live in Olrando, so we go there alot. It has some of my favorite tiki spots and some good antique and thrift stores. Tiki was once very popular in Florida with a half dozen major Polynesian restaraunts that I know about and a couple of really nice tiki resorts. That was in the 50's and 60's before Disney World and Jimmy Buffet took hold, back when Florida seemed to market itself as sort of a poor man's Hawaii. You could drive here, afterall.
Thanks to Sven and folks out on the west coast, the tiki spirit is starting to take hold here again -- but slowly. The Hukilau in Atlanta, Georgia helped alot and next summer's event at the Mai-Kai will too.
Meanwhile, I keep pestering people from Florida to get together for some face time.
As far as making a living from tiki carving, Wayne Coombs of Mai-tiki is probably the most successful carver here. Times seem pretty good right now, but I sense there have been some pretty lean years as well.

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2003-01-09 13:39 ]

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2003-01-09 13:40 ]