TRADER VIC's Warehouse Sale

I'm thinking of flying in on Friday (the 29th) for the last day of the sale. Has anyone been there recently (as of Wednesday) - and is there anything of note left? I was looking for masks and tikis, specifically. PS - Thanks to everybody who posted all the photos of the warehouse items and their own treasures. Great stuff!

• tiki1963 wrote:

overall, i was a bit stunned and dazed at the plethora of great, vintage pieces upon my arrival. i have to admit it was funny to see everyone else so dazed and bumping into each other as the tiki-high was intoxicating! thanks to tiki-Ray who helped convince me that i needed to add this incredible tiki to my collection. i was too crazed to be rational with the sheer amount of neat stuff and good ol' Ray set me straight. i did go a bit crazy and was spending way too much, but i truly believe this was a once-in-a-lifetime event. *

Stunned and dazed pretty much sums it up. It was, and still is, a numbing experience for any Trader Vic's fan boy or girl. It was a brief peek inside the chocolate factory, and I'm just glad I made it out (4 times) without being turned into a giant blueberry. This was a week for the ages, tiki wise.

Congrats on acquiring that one tiki1963, it was one of the stars of the sale (and you got quite a few of the others as well!). That tiki will always be the "Ginger Rogers tiki" to me. I was pleased to be of some assistance...heck, it helped distract your attention from the one I had claimed. No, you still cannot have it.

If anyone has any desire to visit the warehouse, by all means do. I was there this afternoon and there is still a great deal to see and purchase. Hi Kier, Hi Michelie....see you tomorrow (just kidding).

Trader Vic's fan boy #6,
midnite

On 2008-02-27 22:52, midnite_tiki wrote:
No, you still cannot have it.

curses! foiled again!

Damn...I hate everybody.

You west-coasters don't know how lucky you are to have this in your neighborhood. I know several people flew to CA to grab some things, and a friend of mine scored me a lamp I wanted. But I would have loved just to have seen this stuff...and grab as much as I could ship home.

kenike...

i wasn't that easy for Californians. it's a pretty big state.

we had to hop a flight from LA to Oakland, rent a car and drive a bit to get there, not knowing what kind of sale we would find.

also, driving an overloaded U-Haul full of tiki at 3am in the wind and sleet ridden Grapevine (highway route) isn't the best picnic in the world...

it was a great adventure and absolutely like the tiki hunts of old. there's something very satisfying about hunting and bagging your tiki prey by hand. tiki residue on yer chest and primal screams into the night are what its about. the cyber-tiki hunts of today a'la newgroups, forums and ebay is kind of like safari hunting with robotic drones.

i'm sure you'll have some easier access to some hunt that we'll be envious of soon enough, though.

On 2008-02-28 08:10, tiki1963 wrote:
kenike...

i wasn't that easy for Californians. it's a pretty big state.

I keep forgetting that fact...I know CA is HUGE. Still it's more do-able than trying to lug a U-Haul back to TX. Sounds like quite an adventure, and now those items have a great story...in addition to wherever they were previously.

Congrats to everyone for their great scores. It's good to know these items now belong to people who can really appreciate them instead of ending up spray painted next to a taco stand.

[ Edited by: polynesiac 2008-02-29 07:32 ]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSE TC!!!!!!

you have made me VERY happy! I'm covered for the globe!!!!!

mahalo!

Does anybody know what's left at this point in the sale?

Went for the third time today - I'm officially cutting myself off before it's just me and my tiki stuff on the corner... homeless.

There was still quite a bit of stuff there - definitely thinning out, but still worth checking out if you can.

-Pakalolo Man

On 2008-02-28 23:19, Pakalolo Man wrote:
Went for the third time today - I'm officially cutting myself off before it's just me and my tiki stuff on the corner... homeless.

There was still quite a bit of stuff there - definitely thinning out, but still worth checking out if you can.

-Pakalolo Man

What sort of stuff? What about mugs? Are there still skull mugs available?

I'm in Sacramento and I have to decide whether to make a 4-5 hour round trip tomorrow morning before work--and get to work late.

Thanks!
-cloudmonkey

On 2008-02-29 00:01, cloudmonkey wrote:

On 2008-02-28 23:19, Pakalolo Man wrote:
Went for the third time today - I'm officially cutting myself off before it's just me and my tiki stuff on the corner... homeless.

There was still quite a bit of stuff there - definitely thinning out, but still worth checking out if you can.

-Pakalolo Man

What sort of stuff? What about mugs? Are there still skull mugs available?

I'm in Sacramento and I have to decide whether to make a 4-5 hour round trip tomorrow morning before work--and get to work late.

Thanks!
-cloudmonkey

Don't know if any more skull mugs are available, if not, you can buy them on-line. But you should make the trip to this once in a lifetime event. Daresay, I am heading back down this morning from Sacramento. See you there, maybe?

PTD

More photos please! Show us what you scored!

We east-coasters need more tiki-porn to get through the rest of winter...

On 2008-02-29 06:53, Psycho Tiki D wrote:

Don't know if any more skull mugs are available, if not, you can buy them on-line. But you should make the trip to this once in a lifetime event. Daresay, I am heading back down this morning from Sacramento. See you there, maybe?

PTD

Sigh. I just can't justify taking time off work to spend money I shouldn't. I could have easily gone last Monday or Tuesday but didn't find out about the sale until Wednesday.

Oh well. Please let us know if they decide to extend the sale. I could easily make it on the weekend or Monday.

Happy hunting!

-cloudmonkey

looks like the sale of a lifetime...

sucks being on the wrong side of the world sometimes.

I am recovering from the worst flu of my life or I would be there... just talked to my bro who is there now and he is saying they have a lot left. Masks that were on the walls in SF, art, still some tiki poles, nautical stuff they tend to have, etc.... sure wish I had the time, energy and money!!!

[ Edited by: Blowfish 2008-02-29 12:00 ]

I think the majority to the NO CA Ohana are there again for the third, fourth, fifth time today (I've lost count)...I held out for fear of spending another ridiculous amount of money. Talk about kids in a candy store. Yes, we know how fortunate we are to live on the left coast. :)

I'm just happy that this stuff is going to people who care about it...in lieu of the alternative like say a landfill. Long live TV!

I would just like to take a moment to make a simple statement:

IT SUCKS TO BE ON THE EAST COAST!

Kindest Regards and Good Hunting...

I-Tiki

tiki1963
it wasn't that easy for Californians.
driving an overloaded U-Haul full of tiki in the wind
and primal screams into the night.

Gotta luv it man. I do.

Aloha TC Ohana!

We wanted to send out a huge thank you to all who were able to make it out to the sale (especially those of you who we got to meet more than once!). To those of you who couldn’t make it- we wish we could have met you all as well! It has been so much fun for us to be able to mingle with all of you devotees of Trader Vic's and all things tiki. We could not have possibly expected this to be such a fulfilling and rewarding experience! We are grateful to everyone we have had a chance to meet this past week. You all have been so kind!
Mahalo Nui Loa!
Michelie, Kier, and Eve

I'm pulling my hair out. How could I have missed this thread one hour after the sale ends!!!! Oh well.

OK, so that definitely felt like a once in a lifetime sale! It we were like kids in a candy store - the quality and size of some of these pieces was nothing short of amazing.

Psycho Tiki D, AlohaCurrent, and I were there for a few hours and just couldn't get enough of all the great stuff. I ended up buying the 10 foot curved Marquesan tiki that was last seen looming behind the bar at the recently closed SF location.

A big mahalo to the TVWarehousegirls; Michelie, Kier, and Eve for all your help and expertise! Let's do it again in 10 years :D

Here's the 10 footer back at our house - mahalo to PTD and AC for all the help!

And you wanted photos of some of the items that were still available today?

I'm gonna go jump off a bridge.

Yep,

Went back yesterday for the last day of the sale. We thought about going back earlier, but since we the first ones there on Saturday, it seemed appropriate to wait. We called this the Alpha and Omega of the TV warehouse sale.

Not surprisingly, there were items out that we did not see on our first trip. Even less surprising was how much of the items sold over the week. There were still an abundance and selection of merchandise to choose from but I went back for another pole to match the one I purchased on Saturday; nearly all of them had sold and these in my opinion, were the bargain of the sale. I did manage to score one of the last ones from Washington, so both of my poles were from the same location.

Some closing snaps...

Before we left I asked Michelle if she though they would do this again in the future. Michells told me if they did, it would probably be another 10 years or longer before they would accumulate enough to equal what was for sale this past week. This collection was from years and years of storage and from TV's around the world. Chicago TV will be in next week to claim what they want or need.

Mahalo again the the TVWarehousegirls and the dude that helped us load TikiHula's tiki!

Also, great to meet so many TCer's!

Hope to do it again, but sooner than 10 years (in a couple of weeks, maybe).

PTD

[ Edited by: Psycho Tiki D 2008-03-01 07:13 ]

I still do not fully understand the meaning of this happening. What DOES this really mean for the future "look" of Trader Vic franchises? The fact that the architects of the new Trader Vic's demand Tikis and decor in specific measurements is one thing, so it would make sense that the poles and the panels would be sold (but can't one cut the poles to size?), and that would affect the tall 10 foot Tikis too (yet does that mean NO exterior entrance Tikis anywhere anymore?).
But all the freestanding statues, nautical decor, fish traps, floats, South Sea art, Papua New Guinea masks and shields? Some of that stuff DID find its way into the newer, white wall look Trader Vic's (x-ept Vegas) before, why is that stuff considered not usable anymore???

My fear is that the new CEO from Australia took one look at the warehouse and deemed it all "clutter" and kitsch, (just like their new guy in the 80s did), and that the new look is going to be much more uniform and bland than ever. Against that stands the fact that they did an outstanding job with the Dallas Trader Vic's (well it was already there) and are supposedly holding carvings and decor for the new Chicago one, which is suppose to be more old school.

The reason the sale makes sense must have something to do with the way the franchisees pay for the decor (do the they buy it, or just rent it?)

OR, Trader Vic's HAS finally seen the light and they are purging their Asian Tikis (!?) :) ...which, incidentally, 99% percent of the unsold ones in the pictures above are:

(Jeez, what an abomination! :( )

But then, to my surprise, there supposedly was a large amount of vintage items at the sale, too, like my S.F. " Rosebud" Tiki.

I am also unsure if they sold these to generate quick cash ? ...or if that money isn't just a drop in the bucket, and if all the loot we have seen here and are blown away by is just small potatoes for them and can be easily duplicated again.

Questions, questions, but I cannot shake the feeling of a stylistic "purge". Hope I am wrong.

Well, if storage of the big pieces costs more than replacement and there's really no short-term need, then it makes business sense to sell them off. I'm more mystified at the selling of the plates, mugs and glassware - things that are being used, broken, pilfered, etc., and need to be replaced on a daily basis at their restaurants. Even crazy desirable items like the Port/Starboard Light glasses, and the Trader Vic Pig Mug were there. That seems short sighted.

sven...

although i'm as guilty as the next guy for helping to clean them out, your concern was mine from the very beginning. i kept asking, "why in the world would they sell this stuff?"

much of the early sale stock cannot be replaced. the original carvers, the specific styles and the sheer history of the older pieces are something we'll probably not see again.

i came to the conclusion that the newer locations, especially in places like Dubai and Kuwait probably look down on the older material. i can just see some rich Sheik-type character looking at the older poles and figures, noticing a scratch or two, and thinking they were being ripped off...."Why do you sell be broken Tiki!? I want new, fresh! Bring now!"

also, Eve told me that many of the mid-eastern locations, because of religious reasons, will only install phallus-less and hand-less figures and poles. many times, they will take the original pieces and "trim" them of their manhood. and the weirdest, they DON'T SERVE ALCOHOL at those TV locations.

i think a lot of this is why the older stock was in a position to be cleared out. for the future authenticity of TV locations, i'm worried. for my home TV location, i'm filled with happy-talk.

[ Edited by: tiki1963 2008-03-01 09:18 ]

On 2008-03-01 07:38, bigbrotiki wrote:
I still do not fully understand the meaning of this happening. What DOES this really mean for the future "look" of Trader Vic franchises? The fact that the architects of the new Trader Vic's demand Tikis and decor in specific measurements is one thing, so it would make sense that the poles and the panels would be sold (but can't one cut the poles to size?), and that would affect the tall 10 foot Tikis too (yet does that mean NO exterior entrance Tikis anywhere anymore?).

Nearly every tiki less than 9' tall from Osaka had been altered. Most had a section of the top, including the forehead above the eyes cut off to modify the use. The other poles had damage from rails being cut off from the sides. It was sick to see! I waited for most of them to be unwrapped, in attempt to find one similar to my earlier purchase. Still, there was a chance to own a piece of history and I would have bought one if this were my only choice.

Michelle did say they were waiting tor the tiki and decor from the Egypt TV to be returned, that the franchisees had not yet done so.

So it appears the legacy of the true tiki culture from establishments long gone will be preserved by those lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and do whatever can be done to afford it,

PTD

Good, that seems to confirm the "exactly fitted Tikis only" response we heard. Maybe it is a combination of that, and some other aspects: MAYBE, just maybe, they also realized that some of their Asian carvings were just plain wrong. And then, the "not clean enough" reason brought up by Tiki1963 could be the motivation for selling some vintage pieces....thought that seems absurd: The more antique the pieces look, the more they would represent the atmosphere of a South Seas Trading post.
But we all know now that our taste for patina is not what corporate America believes the customer wants. Rather the customer seems to want generic, no-risk, clean, unexiting sameness. Let's hope TVs is not heading in that direction any more than they already have in some cases.

Anybody know if there is anything worthwhile left, and if so how to contact them by phone for a mail order?

Oh my god!!! There was a warehouse sale? :o :-?

I believe the sale is over. I went back on Friday and picked up a few more items. Gotta says the tv girls are the best.

Cheers Will

Got this bloke on left last monday

Then this on friday

my Wife loved this little table , which was said to come from the sf tv.

[ Edited by: bLOCKhEAD 2008-03-02 12:31 ]

• Mai Tai wrote:
  Oh my god!!! There was a warehouse sale?

Either that or we're going steady. Quicksand!

Quite a week it was, indeed. I made it for the open last Saturday and was there when the door was finally lowered Friday evening. There are so many memories I shall take away from my numerous visits to the warehouse sale. Saturday was akin to an actual Tiki event with many fellow TC members sharing a moment for the collecting ages. We were mulling about in stupefied wonder gazing at all the Vic's treasures. For me it was somewhere between the fevered giggles of discovering Ali Baba's cave and reverent Sunday go to church quiet. It was a gas. So many great times, so many friends, new and old, to name. My favorite aspect of the sale is the realization that many of my tiki pals acquired some great pieces of Trader Vic's history and that these relics will be appreciated for many years.

Fortunately, I was able to purchase what I believe are some fine, and one extremely fine, items. I was a bit reluctant to talk about this one purchase, for a number of reasons. However, now that the sale is over I can reveal this particular item which I was so very lucky to acquire. Some back story: While my eager presence and appreciative fan boy attitude was genuine and pure I did hope I could exhibit enough Trade Vic bona fides to Kier and Michelie and thereby eventually be shown the good stuff. The real creme de la creme of the inventory, so to speak. You know, the VIP, high dollar collectors' eyes only, private reserve, the rarest of the rare.

My various charms and dogged persistent bore fruit as I found myself alone with the warehouse girls one afternoon last week. It was at this time they quietly offered me one incredible object. Many could call it a grail, holy or otherwise. I had never seen it in person and frankly doubted it still even existed. Through my many years of tiki/Trader Vic's collecting I had heard stories of this vaunted relic, this gem in the crown of Vic's memorabilia. Kier held it out in front of me and whispered, "It's yours, go ahead." Dumbstruck, in awe from what sat before me, I was barely able to inquire, "Uhh, um, how much?" Well, you know, the old refrain, if you have to ask...

It was expensive, most assuredly. Still, what price glory, what cost to possess the unattainable? Does beauty have a price, is there a ready quote for holding history? My kingdom for a horse? Hardly. This, this is the true stuff of legend, tiki collecting or otherwise:

It's mine, all mine!

My precious,
midnite

is it a bong?

Oh my god! THIS must be the "Maltese Falcon" of Tiki! The portrait of Trader Vic's PET CHICKEN, sculpted by the Trader himself!

When Vic was a young boy, he was a vegetarian, and his family was very poor. One day at the market, he saw a woman who was just going to wring a chicken's neck, and Vic saved it by offering to work for the witch for ten years for free. From that day on, the boy and the chicken were inseparable. But when the family came upon especially hard times and had not eaten for a week, it was decided to slaughter the chicken for nourishment. Vic knew that family came first, and killed the chicken himself. But to get up the nerve to do so, he asked for some liquor, and all that was in the house was some old rum. When they ate the chicken, he joined in out of hungry desperation, and to his surprise, he really liked it. He turned into a meat-loving connoisseur over night, but was only able to get the stuff down with ample amounts of rum. Vic then decided that he had hit upon a formula that might work with other people, too, .....and the rest is history!

Years later, after he had become a successful business man, he remembered his initial inspiration and sculpted this replica of his long gone pal. But one of his sons snuck into his studio while he was taking a break, and, being a little child, he thought daddy's sculpture looked kind of boring, and he got out his finger paints and put garish stripes of color all over the clay. When the Trader saw this, he became so furious that he disinherited his son. This son later went into business with the son of Steve CRANE to start a rival restaurant chain called "Trader Chick", but it miserably failed. The End.

And don't get me started with the weird tubes in the chicken, that's a whole nother tragic story....

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2008-03-03 14:44 ]

Naaawwwww. It's a bong. Definitely.

You're right. The tubes were added later by one of Trader Vic's other sons, who became a dope smoking hippie. I tell you, having children is just asking for trouble.

yikes!! what a ghastly bird......

as to the trader vics stuff, perhaps the reason they didn't reuse it was due to sanitation reasons?? in these days of folks sueing over the slightest thing, perhaps some musty ol tikis that have collected who knows how many germs from the fecal covered hands of small children touching them over the years, as well as a nicotine sheen covering them throughout, that trader vics decided. "fuck it"...get rid of the shit and install all new product and not have to worry about it....

oh yeah, i saw a report the other day on childrens playgrounds throughout the U.S. and how infested they are with germs....trust me, you will never go near a playground again....YUCK!!

"If you ain't laughin', -you ain't livin'!!!"

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2008-03-03 12:23 ]

I saw that last night on 'Breaking Bad'!!!

On 2008-03-03 12:20, Tipsy McStagger wrote:
oh yeah, i saw a report the other day on children throughout the U.S. and how infested they are with germs...YUCK!!

TOLD YOU! ....nothing but trouble!

On 2008-03-03 12:20, Tipsy McStagger wrote:
... trader vics decided. "fuck it"...get rid of the shit and install all new product!"

As a matter of fact, I just saw their new CEO from Australia quoted on their website in those exact same words!

I have a slightly different take on the reason for this sale. I got a full tour of the warehouse and saw the sections that were mostly off-limits (I say mostly because it seems like a lot of people made it back into those other sections). It was clear to me that the real use of the warehouse is to stock and supply the various TV locations with restaurant supplies -- plates, mugs, glassware, mai tai glasses, employee uniforms, etc. These are all things that turn over constantly. Plates break, mugs disappear, etc. This is the function of the warehouse. In comparison, the huge collection of tikis and vintage stuff just sits around the warehouse taking up lots of space and getting in the way. It's "dead stock". Now it's true that if they're getting rid of Tikis that is seems like in the future they won't have them on hand when they want to open a new location, but I truly don't think that influences their designs. If they want tikis, they'll get them, even if they're not in the warehouse. Likewise, as witnessed in Las Vegas, even when they DO have plenty of tikis in the warehouse it doesn't mean that they'll use them. :(

I spoke with Sven Koch about opening costs and in particular, decorating costs. Indeed, they consider the cost of decor a very tiny thing. When the head chef is making $100k a year plus, well, let's just say that opening Trader Vic's is not a cheap thing and thes carvings, etc are a tiny part of the budget. $25k. So, they don't have much value to them. I'm sure they would much rather empty a warehouse and get it off the books.

And yes, the franchises own their decor. They own everything. The main things TV does for a franchise is train their top tier staff and supply them with consumables like mugs and rum, etc.

*...the sections that were mostly off-limits (I say mostly because it seems like a lot of people made it back into those other sections). *

I saw a couple of ne'er do wells rummaging through a box of "off limits" booty like a pair of scavenging hooligans. I even think there was photographic evidence of their shenanigans, good thing one of the warehouse girls 86'd their endeavor.

All the news that's fit to print,
scoop midnite

On 2008-03-03 12:57, Swanky wrote:
I spoke with Sven Koch about opening costs and in particular, decorating costs. Indeed, they consider the cost of decor a very tiny thing. When the head chef is making $100k a year plus, well, let's just say that opening Trader Vic's is not a cheap thing and thes carvings, etc are a tiny part of the budget. $25k. So, they don't have much value to them. I'm sure they would much rather empty a warehouse and get it off the books.

In other words: It's all GOOD, we ALL win! :) Well, or we think we do, the real winners seem to be the head chefs!

Midnite, have we successfully proven unworthy to ever find out what the REAL story and purpose of your find is?

On 2008-03-03 13:44, bigbrotiki wrote:
Midnite, have we successfully proven unworthy to ever find out what the REAL story and purpose of your find is?

I have two words for that item "Senor Pico". Yes, in addition to the multitude of TV items, strewn amoungst the cornicopia of Trader Vic treasures were a few lowly Senor Pico items.

Midnite, sorry to blow your cover. :) OLE!

PTD

[ Edited by: Psycho Tiki D 2008-03-03 15:30 ]

Gracias, PTD! ...So Midnite is working on getting a foot in the door of the NEXT collector's craze, eh?.....American MEXICAN restaurants! But we have caught on to his plan, hehehe....

So amigo, do not speak of Senor Pico as "lowly"....eet eez the next big thing --together with Witco Conquistador style!

Taking Tipsy's poo factor into consideration, I made sure I sterilized this before placing it in the bedroom.

This is the other pole I purchased. Originally planned on putting this in the living room, but with the new floors, it was a hair too tall and I didn't have the heart to cut it down...

This is a banner my buddy moondog426 made me in honor of the Trader Vic's warehouse sale. Thanks!

Can't wait until tiki hammer gets home!

PTD