Post #8024 by tikifish on Tue, Sep 10, 2002 11:43 AM

As for buying tiki items, if you want bamboo poles in various sizes, rattan mats, and that sort of thing, I would suggest hitting Toronto's Chinatown (between College and Dundas on Spadina Ave.) A place called 'Plaiter Place' and one called 'BJ's Imports' will be sure to provide you with some home decor inspiration.

Now for actual tikis of course, that's much harder to find. I've had a little bit of luck at the St. Lawrence market here on Sunday mornings, but you have to be lucky. There's NOTHING to be found in the way of tiki mugs at the local Goodwills or Sally Ann's unless you are extremely, extremely, extremely lucky. I've found 2 mugs in 3 years and I search regularily.

Your best bet is to do the small town Ontario thing - my best hunting for tiki mugs has been at cottage country yard sales and flea markets. I have this theory that people took their souvenir mugs that they got in the 60's, up to the cottage in the 70's and 80's (where all odd mismatched mugs end up), and now these people are dying off, and the kids are selling the cottage contents. I also got a nice Leeteg print out of a cottage too. I assume someone's wife banned the exotic boobs in art piece from the main domicile, and it ended up amongst the winsome pines....

Being from Peterborough, you are pretty well situated for that sort of hunting.

Good luck!