'07 Big Lots Tiki - Tiki Marketplace

T tikiriffic Member Vancouver, Canada Joined: Jul 13, 2006 Posts: 46	T tikiriffic Posted posted on Tue, Mar 6, 2007 11:31 PM I hope I don't come off sounding like some sort of Tiki elitist, but I took a trip across the US/Canada line to go to the the Big Lots near me. I like big lots, and I bought the Disneyland style resin tiki they had last year(they have it this year too), and with a paint job it looks kinda' cool in the garden, as one TC member has shown a while back, but I've got to say that almost all of the 2007 Big-Lots tiki stuff looks really crappy. It all has a real junky China plastic tiki look to it. I've bought and have got my share of junk tiki, but my new criteria when I buy any tiki item, including mugs even, is, would this piece look at home in an old Trader Vic's or Kahiki (you name the tiki bar)? Would this piece possibly be found at an any cool old tiki bar, if it were a vintage tiki item, even if it is not? The answer is no to practically everything at the big lots. I don't want my tiki space to look like a Hawaiian Bud Light Tiki-themed commercial, loaded with cheap looking tiki crap, although the beer babes might be nice. Instead, I am striving to more of an exotic and lush tiki atmosphere. I find when I apply this criteria to my mug collecting as well, you realize that most of the new mugs look pretty crappy, and us tikiphiles buy many of them just for the sake of having the latest junk mug made by whoever, but let's face it, 85% of new tiki mugs out there are really junky and crappy looking and add to tiki space non-cool junk-clutter and detract from the far-away-lands tiki vibe I now desire and appreciate. I guess after wasting enough money on junk tiki, I am finally starting to wise-up. If it is a new mug and I'm afraid to drink out of it because it is a limited number this or made to limited group that, or cost me too much money, then maybe I don't really need it and have just got caught up in Beanie-baby-tiki-itis. I am starting to realize there is a difference between cool kitsch and junky worthless clutter crap. The difference may not even be in what you pay. That is my rant for the night. :)

I hope I don't come off sounding like some sort of Tiki elitist, but I took a trip across the US/Canada line to go to the the Big Lots near me. I like big lots, and I bought the Disneyland style resin tiki they had last year(they have it this year too), and with a paint job it looks kinda' cool in the garden, as one TC member has shown a while back, but I've got to say that almost all of the 2007 Big-Lots tiki stuff looks really crappy.

It all has a real junky China plastic tiki look to it. I've bought and have got my share of junk tiki, but my new criteria when I buy any tiki item, including mugs even, is, would this piece look at home in an old Trader Vic's or Kahiki (you name the tiki bar)? Would this piece possibly be found at an any cool old tiki bar, if it were a vintage tiki item, even if it is not? The answer is no to practically everything at the big lots. I don't want my tiki space to look like a Hawaiian Bud Light Tiki-themed commercial, loaded with cheap looking tiki crap, although the beer babes might be nice. Instead, I am striving to more of an exotic and lush tiki atmosphere.

I find when I apply this criteria to my mug collecting as well, you realize that most of the new mugs look pretty crappy, and us tikiphiles buy many of them just for the sake of having the latest junk mug made by whoever, but let's face it, 85% of new tiki mugs out there are really junky and crappy looking and add to tiki space non-cool junk-clutter and detract from the far-away-lands tiki vibe I now desire and appreciate. I guess after wasting enough money on junk tiki, I am finally starting to wise-up. If it is a new mug and I'm afraid to drink out of it because it is a limited number this or made to limited group that, or cost me too much money, then maybe I don't really need it and have just got caught up in Beanie-baby-tiki-itis. I am starting to realize there is a difference between cool kitsch and junky worthless clutter crap. The difference may not even be in what you pay. That is my rant for the night. :)

Post #290189 by tikiriffic on Tue, Mar 6, 2007 11:31 PM