Santa Cruz Tiki Shack

Hello Tiki Centralites,

I haven't posted a topic lately and decided it was about time. This topic is about a Shave Ice/ Tiki Booth that I had for Aloha Grill's birthday party. This was a super event and many of my friends came by for a special rum laced shave ice concoction. In the foreground of the first attached picture you might recognize Patrick, a tiki legend, enjoying one of my tasty treats. The two super cool owners of this restaraunt decided to let me sell Shave Ice in front of their facilities over the warm summer months. To add to the ambiance of ther facilities I decided to make a Tiki Booth out of mahogony and bamboo. It isn't done yet, I plan on adding some more tikis and leopard print.

In the background you can spot several tikis that I brought along for the festivities. The one in the background is around 9 feet tall and is supposedly going to be featured in Sunset. (I'm holding my breath) My customers were nice enough to let me hold onto their tiki until after this show. (Even though they didn't really have a choice in this matter)

In this second picture you will see several masks. What you can't see are the smoky quartzes that are inlaid into them and the highly glossed marine varnish/polyeurathane finish. People are eating these things up. As a direct result of this show I generated 10 orders for these. Well I wish all of you the best.

Look for more topics under the SC Tiki Shack heading in the near future.

Be safe,
Use Protection,
Will

[ Edited by: SCTikiShack on 2005-03-30 15:07 ]

Where do you find/buy your redwood logs? If indeed the wood is redwood.

very nice , I have brain freeze just thinking about it. The masks and carvings look great.

Superbly superb SCTS. WOW!

sweet booth, I want a shaved rum ice! great idea. I recognize patrick, great guy.

[ Edited by: chisel slinger on 2005-03-30 18:17 ]

I just wanted to say thank you to all that responded.
Rob Roy, I am very fortunate to live in Santa Cruz where Redwood is abundant. In Picture #1 The 6ft and 9ft tikis are both made of logs that I salvaged off my local beach. My poor friends are always getting roped into helping me move massive logs manually off the beach. I have also been getting logs flowed to me for tiki trades.
Let me know if you ever need any Redwwood, I have lots of hookups.

Chisel Slinger,
Rum or Vodka Shave Ice is great. You just have to be careful since the shave ice flavoring masks the taste of the alcohol. I have had friends pass out on the railroad tracks walking home from my parties. Personally, I ingested around 4 of them at this show and was feeling a little happy by the end of the day.

Jungle Trader & Rodeo Tiki,
Thanks, I love getting input, especially plugs, from fellow tiki carvers. I am looking forward to posting many more articles about tikis that I carved or will carve. Unfortunatly, I can can be kind of a slouch when it comes to borrowing the camera from my wife and taking pictures.

Happy Carving,
Will

Looks like a blast, Will. Is that you behind the counter pouring rum over ice?

That's one crazy shack, Jack! Very cool!

http://www.samgambino.com

Here's a pic I got of Will while waiting for my "Speakeasy" Shave Ice and a shot of one of his big tikis.

Will's tikis are pretty cool and the new masks are awesome. Will was stoking everybody out with free shave ice. This really was a great party with great music, hula and aloha flowing out into the streets. Rain was predicted and it was pouring that morning but it magically cleared and the party lasted well into the night.

Chongolio

-- I believe that our Heavenly Father invented the monkey because he was disappointed in man."
... Mark Twain

Come explore http://www.lost-isle.com

[ Edited by: Chongolio on 2005-03-30 22:50 ]

Will this is quite a nice setup. Shaved Ices and tikis, how could you miss. I'm really glad your tikis are selling so well. A testament to your likability as an artist. I Love seeing sucessful artists working so well. Keep it up

Yeah Benz, SCtikis booth was built to the hilt and ready to roll. Will has a little monster garage in him too. You couldn't miss or his booth from the street. There is a stop light right at the corner and anybody who got caught at the red would have these huge tikis staring at them. Will thought he was going to have an easy day cause of the rain but the sun came out and he was hoppin' all day. Will was even so cool as to let me set up some of my stuff under his canopy. A great dude for sure.

Chongolio

AA,
That would be all 230lbs of me making a shave ice. I look forward to meeting up with you some day. We can have dinner at Aloha Grill on the SCTiki Shack tab.

Sam Gambino,
Thank you, wait until I am finished. I plan on submitting the finished product after completion. However, I can't take all the credit for this booth. It was a combined effort between my friend/sander Jason and I.

Chongolio,
What can I say. Getting called a great dude by a great dude is quite the compliment. I had a blast sharing my booth with you. It was great how every time we turned around one of our bro bros was paying us a visit.
Keep in mind that the large tiki in you picture is still under construction, I will be submitting the final product when it is ready.

Benzart,

Shave Ice and tikis seem to go hand in hand. I have been selling shave ice at festivals and rock tours (Warped and HORDE Tours) since 1989. Ever since then, I was using tikis as props. What compelled me to start carving was my love for these fearsome idols. Recently I dug up some of my old essays from grade school. In one class, I had to write a horror story. It was entitled the "Enchanted Tiki". This essay is about a tiki pendant that comes to life and kills unsuspecting individuals at night. However, unfortunatly this tiki forgot to cover its tracks and was soon found by following the tiny bloody footprints it left behind. (Too bad it didn't watch CSI)
I am lucky to be able to make some money doing what I love. Part time ,I am a money manager trading Mutual funds, a rather soleless profession.(As I know you can attest to) Luckily, my boss lets me come in late if the waves are good and allows me to take Mondays and Fridays off to carve. As long as they are working with me I think I will stay, otherwise, I might have to go to carving full time. Unfortunatly, I am afraid that carving might become tedious if it is something that I have to do everyday as a job.

One of these days, if I am successfull enough, I would like to commission you to make me an enchanted tiki pendant. I know they ain't cheap so I am saving up.

Thank you one thousand times,
Will

Well, Will, you are Welcome one thousand and one times. How come you look thin and my 230 pounds look fat? Must be the Kalifornia water.
Let me know when you're ready and I promise I'll do you one ith No Feet. They aren't as expensive as all that, same as a couple or three tanks of gas , we can work sumpthin out.

When you have to carve all day it Never gets tedious because there is so much more to do besides carving. You get to shmoozz full time too and eat out a lot, take out and be taken out ot ink deals and plan ideas, scheeming and teasing, collecting and trading, back scratchin and Then you have to Look for resources for wood and logs and Ideas and peoples andideas annnnd more ides, They say all this is hard work but I been having fun.laters cheerio,
Benzart
Keep up the good work man

hEy nice Tikis there!... and love the shirt!

rum soaked shaved ice and awesome carved tikis to gawk at?!?!?!

throw in some surfin' and that sounds like a perfect summer day!!!!

You're one talented man, you gonna show us some of those masks? (hint, hint) cuz they look COOL!

Tiki Tony,

Thank you, I love your shirts. There used to be a place downtown called something like Kanapali that sold them, but they aren't there anymore. Thee is a place called Surf n' Shack in Capitola looking for tiki related items if you are interested.

Here are some better pictures of a tiki that I carved for an art teacher. He said I am using the seven demensions of art, whatever that means.

Whats up Polynesiac,
How's life in San Pedro? My sister lives down there, she is a Longshore Person. I was checking out your tikis on this site they are super nice. Maybe I should look you up some day when I go visit my sister. We should go for a surf at Royal Palms.

Thanks,
Will

aahhhhhhhh.....to work longshore.

Feel free to give a shout next time you're down pedro way. I'm always up for surfin' or carvin' or whatevah.
Royal Palms, eh? Not a bad spot, but don't get in the way of the "locals"!

THat last one you posted (for the art teacher) is really nice - I like the two tone on the wood. I'm assuming that's part of the grain? I get my redwood from HOme DEPOT and the thinner (like borders or runners)pieces have that cool two-tone look.
Do you end up staining your tikis - or just sanding them smooth (like that last one - MAN that loooks smooth!!!!)? Very nice job!

"Hey, at least I'm housebroken."
PPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDRRRRRRROOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

[ Edited by: Polynesiac on 2005-04-05 17:50 ]

[ Edited by: Polynesiac on 2005-04-05 17:51 ]

Holy crap, that is one great lookin tiki! Nice job.

I am the proud owner of the tiki prominently displayed in the front. I too live here in beautiful SCZ. I highly recommend SCTikis and the Aloha Grill. Although not yet named, my tiki is residing proudly in the grotto just off my tiki bar, spot light and all. Love ya Will - thanks again!

Hey Will , just checked out your website. Not sure how long ago you redid it ,but it looks GREAT!!!

great looking carvings, i use to live in Santa Cruz, from about 1st grade threw high school.

Rodeotiki,

Thank you, you are one of the first people to see my updated website. I traded this super cool guy (Kelly) a tiki for a website.

This is the tiki I traded him, It has a third eye made out of a synthetic emerald. I don't know what it is, but I love inlaying gemstones into my art. I think it makes me feel like they are worth something.

The website he created for me was better than I expected, after all, he is a tiki nut. Therefore, I am going to make him another little mini tiki bar stool for all his time and effort.
Kelly also is good friend with the band Smashmouth and he created their website as well.

Octane,
Thank you, Santa Cruz is a great place to live. However, it is not too shabby in San Louis. Several of my friends moved down to Morrow Bay and they are loving life. Good waves, fresh air, and friendly people is what Central Cal. seems to be about. By the way, are those your tikis in the SLO county Trader Joes? I hear that they are excellent.

Will
http://www.sctikis.com

Yeah both Santa Cruz and SLO are pretty nice. It was a little slow at first in San Luis (it is called SLO town), but its kind of nice now, i like it slow.

The tikis in front of trader Joes are not mine. the tikis are OK they are a little rough, but not bad. Nice looking website by the way, i did not see the link tell you mentioned trading a tiki for a website. Ithink both you and the web designer got a good deal.

SC, Just how many tikis have you carved, give or take? And how long before you settled in on your style and consistency?

Your site looks like it should get you some orders. Well done.

Slammin' website Will, love the typestyles. And your style is so refined, good stuff man. Surfs' been so-so lately, but fun for long boardin. Now Go carve a good surf tiki for bringin up mondo swell.

Gemstone or not, your tikis are definately worth something... a great deal of something!

SC, Another beauty!
I'll be in your sticks Saturday the 18th, to see Ape at the Catalyst.
Let's connect for a tail!
Chongolio and any other TCers going?
This night will rock.

Raffertiki,

I thought that I was giving you a long winded response yesterday, but I guess that it didn't go through. I believe that I have carved something around 120-150 tikis. I don't know where they all went since I only have two personal tikis that I carved.(my first one and my wedding tiki)
Around my fith tiki is when my style started to uncover itself. However, I always try to do something new and exciting. Kind of like what you are doing with your killer tiki sporting a Hawaiian shirt. There are so many excellent carvers out there now so I am always trying to differentiate myself by inlaying gems, carving elaborate backsides etc.

Surfintiki,

I thing that I'm going to try to carve the biggest baddest Redwood log I can find before I go crazy. This lack of swell is killing me. Thank god for mountain biking. Maybe if I make a specific good wave juju creation we will always get waves.(wishfull thinking huh)

Tiki Gardner,

Thank you, I am flattered that all you good carvers believe that my creations have value. Fortunately, up here in S.C. many people have money and they don't balk at spending a pretty penny for a tiki. As you know it takes a lot of elbo greese, and sometimes some blood to bust one out.

Unga Bunga,

Ape at the Catalyst sonds great, lets try to meet up while you are here. Maybe we can have some grinds at the Aloha Grill. I am always looking for an excuse to eat there.

Will

[ Edited by: SCTikiShack on 2005-06-07 09:00 ]

These guys are fine! The finish, design, and carving - nice going, SC.

Will, I love the bejewelwd tikis, nice touch. Just a bit different. I also Love your new website.

Will, the website looks awesome. Nice photos, descriptions, etc. Much improved over the old website, which was not bad to start with. Did you already sell that huge 9 footer that you showed us last month? Man I'd hate to have to move that thing! The pix all look great. Your method of "getting in the groove" must really be working! :wink:

Later,

Aaron

Will-
Love the new web site! Awesome pix and layout. Maika'i
tinatinytiki

Thank you all,

I'm pretty chuffed about how my website turned out. Now it is time for me to get back to carving.

Just kidding, I'm a carving madman, you should see my backyard right now, there are around 11 tikis all in different stages of development. The tikis are just chillin out waiting to go to their new parents.

Unfortunately, my chainsaw broke,and tomorrow is my carving day. Now it is imperitive to dissect it and fix the electrical, before my little one wakes up. I don't know about you guys, but over the years I have mastered the art of Frankensteining electric chaisaws. They seem to like to break a lot. Whatever you do buy the two year extended warranty and don't loose the receipt.

Mahalo tiki family,

Will

A.A.,
That 9 footer hurts my back everytime I look at it. It has already been sold and paid for, but the client wanted it sanded more. His backyard is supposed to be featured in Sunset, so it better look good. I'm holding my breath.

[ Edited by: SCTikiShack on 2005-06-09 15:37 ]

YOur new website's the foshnizzle! very classy...

totally diggn' your style...

Aloha SCtikishack!!!!!!!!
I love the red wood that you use! Is the redwood pretty abundant in your area? I have plans down the road to drive out with a trailor and buy a couple of slabs of redwood to shape a recreation of an early Hawaiian surf board for our home. Keep up the cool carvings,Aloha , Mooney

A well deserved bump. Seeing as theres a lot of newer members and things get lost a little quicker now. Also check out Will's 9 mask thread

Kick ass stuff.

So cool, I wish I was there, I totally want a shaved ice now, ha, ha!

Will, saw you lurking about here on Benz thread... whatcha been up to?

Would love to see some stuff!

I imagine the surf has been too good to carve this winter though. :wink:

Lake,

The waves have been pumping over here for tha last few weeks. There were some days when I was scared for my life. Sometimes, it is harsh paddling out pre-dawn and tired only to have to face 10 foot pitching monsters on your head. Survival surf.

However, I have been carving quite a bit. I'll post some pics when I can get my act together.

Hopefully ,life is treating you well.
Come visit us here sometime.

Will

Hey Will, Nice to see you stopping by. Really been missing your Awesome Pieces, mwould Love some Pix when you get time!