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Tiki Central / Locating Tiki / Kona Hut, Laguna Beach, CA (restaurant)

Post #773919 by Dustycajun on Fri, Mar 10, 2017 5:18 PM

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Excellent observation Cosmoreverb! Never noticed that same address before. My guess is that the restaurant started as the Christian's Hut, it was owned by Art LaShelle and Red Skelton. I found this clipping from 1953 that confirms it was there before the Kona Hut.

This article after the 1956 fire says it was the Doll House before Kona Hut, so I am thinking that it changed ownership and they changed the name to Kona Hut sometime in 1954.

As in the fine Tiki transmission tradition, just a slight variation to the matchbook was all that was needed for the change!

DC