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Tiki Central / General Tiki / Tiki Bar in Jacksonville, FL?

Post #677175 by The Son of Trader Glick on Wed, May 8, 2013 9:44 AM

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I don't know if any of you are interested, but I can give you some first-hand information about the old Trader Glick's on Phillips Hwy in Jacksonville. My dad owned that place, but it was closed shortly after his successful suicide on Father's Day in 1971. My stepmother was an alcoholic and had no idea how to manage a business, so that's why it collapsed. Seems her forte was spending my father's money, not participating in earning it.

If I recall correctly, my father opened Trader Glick's somewhere around 1966 or 1967, maybe as late as 1968. His big claim to fame was a former restaurant on the St. John's river front called "The Lobster House." See....

http://vintagejacksonville.net/2011/07/05/lobster-house/

http://www.jaxhistory.com/Jacksonville%20Story/Picture%20of%20Creature%20from%20Black%20Lagoon.htm

A year or two before he died he also owned another restaurant/nightclub, later turned Dinner Theater, called "Trader Glick's Lobster House." I don't remember the address of that restaurant, I just remember that we had to cross a toll bridge to get to it, and that it was maybe a 30 minute drive from the Phillips Hwy.

Trader Glick's served both American and Polynesian food. And yes, there were tikis. Seems like that was the big thing at the time, or at least something my dad liked. I just remember being able to order all the egg rolls I could eat whenever we would visit my dad (my parents divorced when I was around 4 years old). I remember my dad always wearing those flowery shirts like in the photos above, and it seems like his waitstaff wore something similar. I also remember a Live Lobster Tank where customers could hand-pick what they wanted for dinner.

If anyone has any other questions, I'd be happy to try and answer them. Oh, and if you're wondering how I found this thread, every once in a while I do a little more digging into my father's life, trying to unravel the mystery of why he would take his life when he had children to raise.

Kind regards,

The Son Of Trader Glick