Tiki History - The Hawaiian in Long Beach - General Tiki

STCB Sabu The Coconut Boy Tiki Socialite Carson, California Joined: Aug 20, 2002 Posts: 2807	STCB Sabu The Coconut Boy Posted posted on Wed, Jun 4, 2003 5:48 PM Thanks all, Truth be told, I would love to be a part of some book-writing endeavor, but right now it's fun just sharing and combining my collection with Puamana's and showing the results to you all. What I'd like to do eventually is do a book that is as dense with eye-candy as Sven's BOT, but gives some in-depth history of each of the places featured. Maybe a two to four-page layout per tiki bar, full of postcards, menus, napkins, matchbooks, mugs, swizzles, and maybe some photos that the old owner still has lying around, with the spaces in-between filled with history and interesting anecdotes about the place - like Martiki's "fashion shows". To do this, I need to interview the people who owned and worked at these tiki bars while they're still alive. This is an opportune time to do so. Did these owners know each other? Did they like each other? Were they competitive? Because of the interviewing necessary, I'd probably just want to concentrate on the history of Los Angeles tiki. I'm discovering a paper trail of new places all the time. In any case, it would have to be a collaborative effort. All my time and money goes into just collecting postcards and matchbooks. I'd have to join with other collectors to show the menus, mugs, swizzles and photographs. And despite the impression that I give, my collection is woefully small. Sure, it takes up five big binders right now, but every week I look on Ebay, more than half of what I discover is brand new to me. For instance, look at this matchbook I just purchased that came from the Tiki Kai in Lawndale (I don't have it in my hands yet, so this is a blow-up of the auction photo): I had NO IDEA that such a splendid-looking tiki bar existed in Lawndale, even though I grew up next door in North Redondo. So, since I've only been collecting less than a year, I still feel my collection is inadequate to a book. I know that there are other collectors who Sven knows about who do not post here, but who have collections and knowledge much vaster than my own, and it makes me want to be thorough when writing a book about tiki. I'll keep you posted, though. I need to get to the interviewing part of the job next. Sabu [ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy on 2003-06-04 22:56 ]

Thanks all,

Truth be told, I would love to be a part of some book-writing endeavor, but right now it's fun just sharing and combining my collection with Puamana's and showing the results to you all.

What I'd like to do eventually is do a book that is as dense with eye-candy as Sven's BOT, but gives some in-depth history of each of the places featured. Maybe a two to four-page layout per tiki bar, full of postcards, menus, napkins, matchbooks, mugs, swizzles, and maybe some photos that the old owner still has lying around, with the spaces in-between filled with history and interesting anecdotes about the place - like Martiki's "fashion shows". To do this, I need to interview the people who owned and worked at these tiki bars while they're still alive. This is an opportune time to do so. Did these owners know each other? Did they like each other? Were they competitive?

Because of the interviewing necessary, I'd probably just want to concentrate on the history of Los Angeles tiki. I'm discovering a paper trail of new places all the time.

In any case, it would have to be a collaborative effort. All my time and money goes into just collecting postcards and matchbooks. I'd have to join with other collectors to show the menus, mugs, swizzles and photographs. And despite the impression that I give, my collection is woefully small. Sure, it takes up five big binders right now, but every week I look on Ebay, more than half of what I discover is brand new to me. For instance, look at this matchbook I just purchased that came from the Tiki Kai in Lawndale (I don't have it in my hands yet, so this is a blow-up of the auction photo):

I had NO IDEA that such a splendid-looking tiki bar existed in Lawndale, even though I grew up next door in North Redondo.

So, since I've only been collecting less than a year, I still feel my collection is inadequate to a book. I know that there are other collectors who Sven knows about who do not post here, but who have collections and knowledge much vaster than my own, and it makes me want to be thorough when writing a book about tiki.

I'll keep you posted, though. I need to get to the interviewing part of the job next.

Sabu

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy on 2003-06-04 22:56 ]

Post #37331 by Sabu The Coconut Boy on Wed, Jun 4, 2003 5:48 PM