Post #204343 by bungy on Sat, Dec 24, 2005 2:09 AM

Aloha! wonderful ohana! alias Tiki Aficionadas!
re: Shop in Hollywood!
If you look at pix you'll see used fising nets draped over from the roof; a string of used corks anchors, ships wheels (over the largest is a board that says (in rope letters) Trade Winds Trading Company. The 959 on rt is also done in rope (has to be used and pretty!); authentic, hand blown used fising floats that we could actually pick up on the beaches of N. California, and Oregon, on beachcombing trips.. where we camped out.. that was when the beaches belonged to everyone.. and one could build campfires anywhere!
Horses: I got so excited about the pix, that I described later made horses to my darling nephew! These were Eli's first creations.. they were "packing" barrels.. pretty thin wood with wire stays, nails came in smaller ones, and bigger ones were used to transport all kinds of things; frayed rope for manes, shells for eyes, driftwood "pack saddles" for portable bars, poolside bars; and deer horns, esp., around Christmas!! When he could get them.

Right next door, Igor Stravinski's wife, Madame Stravenski, had a shop.. I think it was antiques.. and she would give us kids bon bons occasionally! Every once in a while, the maestro would appear, with his flying white hair,and waving, gesticulating arms. I would hide around a corner and peek out, he was so awsome!

Right across the street, Elsa Lancaster, who was married to Charles Laughton, had a children's theater called "The Turn-a-bout Theater". She did Saturday afternoon puppet shows for children, and I got to go several times. You all sat looking at a large puppet stage at one end of room.. then, intermission, we all turned our chairs aorund and saw the 2nd half at the other end,, different set!

Our shop, itself was 3 large rooms. The first entry room was all nautical, with ships wheels, ropes, oars, fish floats of all sizes, great ships paintings, etc.
The second was my favorite. It was the Tropical room, with auhtentic hand carved preWW2 tikis of all sizes; great, large wooden war masks ; tapas from all over the South Seas; woven mats of all shapes and sizes, and a great pile of fishing net, that I used to lean against to do my homework whenever I got to go there after school. Huge packing crates would arrive, and I'd get so excited, because they were coming in from Ne wGuinea, or Fiji, or? , and we'd get crow bars, and the delicious smell of adventure filled the room when the top finally came off.. in them were all the treasures foudn and bought from the islanders.. by an importer named Drumgold. Daddy bought some, and was the agent on other "stuff". Movie stars were always wandering through, and stopping to chat! Like; Ronald Reagan and jane Wyman, Mickey Rooney, and loads more. There is a guest sign in book somewhere in the family!

the third room was a huge work shop, where all the beauty was turned out. One time, we had an open house, and refreshments were served in the work shop.. naturally it had been decorated tropicl! Daddy had built this huge mound of crushed ice with melon balls, pineapple spears, etc. How did he become the "Tropical" Decorator he was , when he had never been to Hawaii!!!
Bamboo Ben has certainly taken off where dear ol' dad left off!! His shop is so much fun to go into! It's 959 La Cienega.. only smaller!!