Post #358624 by bigbrotiki on Fri, Feb 1, 2008 7:16 PM

On 2008-02-01 17:26, bigtikidude wrote:
I wish they would put it in Trader vics restaurants, not sell the stuff...

GOOD point, Jeff!

On 2008-02-01 16:56, donhonyc wrote:
....If they by chance they have ANYTHING at all from the former New York Trader Vic's locations (The Plaza Hotel and Savoy Hilton Hotel), and you think of it, please let me know.

To make our East coast Ohana a little less sad: This is not THE Trader Vic's warehouse, like some legendary ivory elephant graveyard. Such a thing does not exist anymore.

Sometime in the 1980s when more and more T.V. locations were closing and none were opening, they stopped taking back the decor and just let it go. Ask what happened to the Washington Trader Vic's for example: The giant Barney West Moai were cut up for fire wood, and most of the interiors were thrown into the trash (x-ept some salvaged by Tikiphiles hip to the closing).
When I surveyed the original Trader Vic warehouse in Oakland in the early 90s, it was a very sad affair, except for some paper, there was nothing in there worthy to speak of. I had heard glorious stories of Tiki treasures from Leroy and Bob at O.A., but those days were over, I was too late. Eventually it was closed completely.

Now flash forward to the Tiki revival, post 2000: T.V.'s started getting requests for franchises again, and had to come up with decor. So a lucky Asia furniture importer got the commission not only to supply them with Tiki carvings (from his carving sources in Asia), but also started storing anything that came back from terminated T.V. locations. I got to visit that warehouse, too. It was full of Buddha statues and rattan and black lacquer Asian antique imitations, and in one room, there were a couple of rows of Vic's decor. There actually were some original old big headed Marquesans like they still stand in Munich, but they were already earmarked for the San Francisco opening (did they ever end up there?).
I do not know if this warehouse now is still the same or not, but A.) Do not expect too much genuinely vintage in there, and B.) prepare for hefty prices.

That's all, Mr Pragmatic has spoken.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2008-02-01 19:19 ]