Post #377150 by Tiki Lee's on Wed, Apr 30, 2008 2:04 AM

Wow...
So much love and support is wonderful to read about. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! It really means a great deal to me that what I tried to do in that antique mall is appreciated. Sometimes I wonder if anyone cares, and it's so good to know that some of you do.

And Now For Today's News: TIKI LEE'S IS BACK IN BUSINESS!!!

Hard to believe, but here's what happened:

I went in today to start moving my stuff out. And as soon as I snuck in the side door, I was spotted by another dealer, who in may opinion, has the best vintage stuff in the whole mall. I've learned alot from her and her sister over the years, and their expertise at finding great stuff and their kindness in sharing knowledge has been a positive influence. Anyway, this person who I highly look up to came up to me and told me how much she didn't want to see me go, and how much she appreciated ME. That about knocked me down. My "mentor" looks up to me like I look up to her! Well, before too long, word got out in the mall that I was there and all the dealers that happened to be in the store came up to me and told me to please reconsider and stay and that they'd miss me and that they like having me around, etc. It sounds really cliched, but I was really overwhelmed with emotion. I had no idea that I actually mattered to these people.

Then, the inevitable happened. The "manager" and the new owner came up to me and asked if they could talk to me. Long story longer, they apologized for the incident. I apologized for my marathon string of obscenities. We all cried. And when the tears cleared, the tape came off my doors and the light came on once again in Tiki Lee's brand new Tiki Room. And guess what else came out of all this- I GET TO HAVE MUSIC AGAIN! Hooray!!!

Now the post-script to all of this is that in the time that I was "closed", I was looking at other properties to open up my own antique mall with about six other dealers from the Charleston that are also disgruntled. I found a super-cool vintage building right at the gateway to the arts district, and it is absolutely PERFECT. Things are looking like they WILL happen eventually, so keep a wary eye out, travelers! "Tiki Lee's" may yet relocate to "greener jungles!"

Mahaloz Plenny once again for all the kind support. Thanks for making me feel like it really is worth my while to go the extra mile and do something special. If you ever stop by the mall, please let them know that you're there to visit Tiki Lee's Tiki Room! :)