Post #404786 by tekoteko on Thu, Aug 28, 2008 7:20 PM

On 2008-08-28 13:54, DJ Terence Gunn wrote:
I agree whole-heartedly about the patronising issue. That's one of the multiple things I don't care for about Seattle and its people: lack of significant patronage for anything that isn't the lowest common denominator, the status quo; for something that is unique and different, for something that has integrity and goes against the grain.

I tend not to agree. I think you folks up in the Pacific Northwest have a HUGE variety of locally owned and operated eateries. In fact I often remark about how I wish where I lived had such a great variety. It's hard to go against the grain when the grain goes in EVERY direction.

Despite what many TC'ers who don't live in Seattle may think, there aren't many hardcore tikiphiles (at least, not the kind of ones most of us who take it seriously, but in a fun way, find agreeable) in this area. TC'ers like dogbytes, woofmutt, sweetpea, Dawn Fraiser (forgot your user handle, Dawn!), and tikiriviera are frequent -- perhaps daily, several times daily even? -- posters here, and can give the impression -- often through exaggerated praise and enthusiam -- that there is much more of a scene here, that there is much more going on here than there really is.

I know for a FACT this isn't true. I get more invites for Seattle events than I can even count, and I haven't ever lived within 2,000 miles of the place. Obviously there isn't much of a 'scene' if you don't get invited to it...no, the people you referenced couldn't have 'saved' Trader Vic's, but go check out the tiki 'scene' in most places and you'll find that you're living in a veritable pantheon of tiki activity.

And the current economy and people's wallets must be considered in the equation, as well. Myself, I rarely go out; not because I'm cheap and don't wish to give my patronage to places I would like to, but rather because I'm generous, indulgent, and like to have a great time, but simply cannot afford the cost. And when I could afford it, in retrospect I'm shocked at how much money I used to spend on an evening out! (This is why I put together and support more non-public events: more artistic freedom, more control, and a helluva lot less expensive.)

Trader Vic's targets a specific demographic. One with lots of disposable income. An establishment that prices itself for this demographic doesn't usually have a live DJ, loud ambiance, a ton of college kids hanging out, or people passing out drunk in the bar. I've been to the Trader Vic's in question and never saw any of that. That's why I went back a second time.

But there's more to it than lack of patronage, a dodgy economy, and an ill-chosen location. The OWNERS simply ran it as a mid-scale restaurant with a bar and nothing else. Other than the theme they tried to inspire, the atmosphere they failed to create, they simply didn't do anything special with the place. Trader Vic's, Bellevue didn't offer entertainment (DJed, live, or otherwise), or play host to local tiki/Polynesian art shows, etc. Nor did they patronise any events outside their establishment that would've perhaps furthered and promoted their business. (I already said they snubbed Otto and I for trying to put together an event in the beginning -- one that would've opened their minds to possibilities down the road.)

I guess I have a case of chronic disagreement. The location wasn't the best. I thought they pulled off the theme beautifully, it was a great space to be in, the drinks were especially well made, and the ambiance would have been completely trashed by live music, a loud DJ, etc. Like I said before, I don't think that Trader Vic's was marketing itself to the 'low brow' crowd. I think they were going after a market that:
a) could drop 3 digits, not including decimals, on a meal without thinking twice
b) would not get loud, rowdy, out-of-hand, drop roofies in drinks, fall down drunk, puke in the bar, etc.

I don't think they were catering to the general membership of Tiki Central or "the lounge scene." I think they were trying to run a high-end business for more upscale clientele. (Now please, do not think I'm saying that most TC members can't afford a meal at Trader Vic's, get rowdy and fall down drunk in bars, etc. I don't know most of the people here well enough for that. I'm just saying that no establishment could survive marketing specifically to a niche market THIS small.)

Clearly I'm a minority here, but I won't miss something I never really had anyway. I've always been of the philosophy that if you don't like the world you live in, then create your own. Nobody else is going to do it for you.

Southwest Airlines says "The only way to like where you sit, is to sit where you like."

In closing (no pun intended), what I'd really like to see in Seattle is a hidden, off the beaten track, hole in the wall private-club Tiki Tavern -- something along the lines of Portland's Thatch, but a little larger for some occasional entertainment; a secret, in-the-know place, for the urban Bohemian. Private clubs are often the only way to go for sub-culture survival.

Once again, it'd be unrealistic to base a business plan on a niche market this small. You already said that Seattle doesn't have much of a tiki scene. While I disagree, I don't think you could keep an entire business running on Seattle's thriving, vibrant, huge, pulsating, turgid tiki scene.