Post #362936 by Tiki-Kate on Fri, Feb 22, 2008 4:38 PM

On 2008-02-22 15:33, Tipsy McStagger wrote:
we were excited because at that time, finding new tiki products was a relatively rare thing....today, new tiki items are all over the place, not just from big chain stores, but from all us artisans as well...we are just too jaded now....before, when we had fewer choices we were happy to find a new plastic tiki at big lots....now we have numerous choices and we now have the luxury to be snobs, pickin and choosing as we go....it's just a reality of any trend, regardless of that trends duration....more choices, means more division...more catagorizations.......and then the bickering and fighting begin as to who was first, who's more genuine, who owns what, who knows what....

and who really cares...

So true. I think back to when Target rolled out that big line of tiki merchandise a few years ago, and I was absolutely thrilled. Hell, I've still got those silly Kon Tiki sheets on my bed. I also love my Big Lots Pele.

Back to the topic, I think that there are still countless urban archaeological finds to be made. I live out in the arm pit of Southern California, the Inland Empire. I constantly kick myself for not better chronicling my own area. There was a restaurant here with a little a-framey thing going on. It used to be decorated with surf boards and tikis. I would eat there whenever I had the chance, but I never took pictures. And then, of course, one day it was just gone. I can't even think of the name anymore. (Although now it's Iggy's Roadhouse.) Granted, it wasn't a classic tiki palace or anything, but it's a place I wish I had a better memory of.

I don't think that tiki was ever truly ubiquitous, but it was pretty darn popular at one point, and the old abandoned remnants are still out there for us to discover.