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Tiki Central / General Tiki / Save Luau Room in Louisville, KY

Post #41120 by Nineveh on Sun, Jun 29, 2003 6:48 AM

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On 2003-06-28 20:22, the75stingray wrote:

I was disappointed to see the ethnic / hip hop look going into club, taking away from it's origin. Something un-characteristic about walking through a medal detector before entering a Tiki establishment.

Oh great, that's just lovely. I hadn't seen that because I didn't want to keep bugging him before it opens. I was encouraged by the palm tree sign and the fact that he put banana trees on either side of the door.

The Club sits in an older area that appears racially intergrated and combines residential and industrial settings.

Yes, it's at Fourth and Industry, a few blocks from Churchill Downs and the newly built and ridiculously popular Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. There are some houses nearby but they are lower income. However, it is .3 miles from all the University of Louisville student dormitories and frat houses. It is also half a mile from Old Louisville, a section of town comprised of Victorian mansions inhabited by U of L students, artists and pagans, rich gay men, and drug addicts.
You can have a newly-rehabbed, decked-to-the-teeth mansion that is on the Christmas homes tour right next door to a slumlord-run apartment of students.

There appears to be adequate parking, but my biggest concern (coming from the racially divided Cincinnati area) is going to be whether or not the "Tiki" theme, and it's potential patrons, would be welcomed by the locals of the establishment.

On the parking issue, it used to be a Kroger grocery store.
I'm hoping the close proximity of the college students (and the artists and pagans and rich gay men) will help booster the success of the Tiki theme.

We spoke briefly about the idea of having a "Tiki night" on a Tuesday or Wednesday evening, but he had concerns that no one would show for it.

I talked to him about that too, and that's why I'm desperately trying to find other Louisville Tikiphiles. So far The Louisville Tiki Society has 6 local members, and after the article on Tiki last Wednesday in the paper I wrote to the reporter and the local chef and Tikiphile who was featured in it (John Castro.) Still waiting for replies.

The place certainly has retained it's potential - there is no doubt about that.

Absolutely, and I have good news. I talked to someone who also talked to a guy behind the counter when it was a Salvation Army. She says he told her that THE OWNER HAS ALL THE DECOR IN STORAGE AND HOPES TO RE-OPEN IT AS A TIKI BAR SOMEDAY.

She also said the guy wasn't cool with her taking pictures and followed her around. This is in stark contrast to the guy I talked to, who didn't know anything about it but couldn't care less how many pictures I took.

So I think the next mission is to talk to the owner.