Spring is here and stores are putting out all types of TIKI goodies. Most of it is crap. However, there are a few gems to discover. You need to move quick though because this stuff goes real fast...

Big Lots is selling a three foot tall Tiki idol reminiscent of one seen at The Tiki Tiki Room in Disneyland. It sells for $30. The one I purchased had some small dings in it. As such, I got the manager to knock an extra 10% off the price. These are similar in manufacture to the ones that Target was selling a couple of years ago:

In addition, Big Lots is selling these 10" tall ceramic planting pots for $8:

They also have some Tiki mug torches. I believe they are $8 a pop.

At Walgreens I found this neat little Tiki water fountain w/tea candle lamp at Walgreens of all places. Water pours out of the Tiki's mouth into the stones. These make great table center pieces and operate on two AA batteries. They sell for $5.99 a piece or two for $10:

And while at Walgreens don't forget these ceramic Tiki salt and pepper shakers. Two for $1:

Tikinaut

[ Edited by: Tikinaut 2008-03-22 12:28 ]

Rite Aid has three tiki pieces so far. They are resin birdhouses at $15 each. The tiki-ness of them is okay. The chances that a bird would use the house is pretty slim.

My Hobby Lobby had some resin tiki figures a few weeks back. About four feet tall. Don't pay full price... everything in that store goes on sale like once a month.

Home Depot has these planters and a bunch of silly looking carved tikis.

Love those Home Depot planter pots! They're kind of like giant Tiki mugs! I may have to check them out in person...

Though it's not really a retail Tiki store find, I DID just purchase this 20" coco palm carved warrior Tiki

from http://www.bambooandtikis.com.

I kind of used him as the design inspiration for my web site so actually having the lil guy as an objet d'art in my personal Tiki collection will be nice.

Peace,
Peter

Home Depot has these planters and a bunch of silly looking carved tikis.

Tiki Kate, I'm assuming you're on the west coast? They did not have these at my Home Depot in the Midwest. I think the west coast stores get their stock in first.

BTW, I checked with Jo-Ann Fabrics and they will be getting in a bunch of Tiki idols and related items within the next two weeks.

We've had an absolutely brutal winter this year in the upper Midwest, so I'm looking forward to adding more Tikis to my backyard garden. Hopefully the snow will be gone by June!!! :wink:

-Tikinaut

i gotta go by home d this week how big are those planters?

On 2008-03-25 04:46, Tikinaut wrote:

Home Depot has these planters and a bunch of silly looking carved tikis.

Tiki Kate, I'm assuming you're on the west coast? They did not have these at my Home Depot in the Midwest. I think the west coast stores get their stock in first.

BTW, I checked with Jo-Ann Fabrics and they will be getting in a bunch of Tiki idols and related items within the next two weeks.

Yep. I'm in California. The planters are about three feet tall and run $90.

Did they say anything about stocking tiki fabric at Jo-Ann?

On 2008-03-25 08:52, Tiki-Kate wrote:

On 2008-03-25 04:46, Tikinaut wrote:

Home Depot has these planters and a bunch of silly looking carved tikis.

Tiki Kate, I'm assuming you're on the west coast? They did not have these at my Home Depot in the Midwest. I think the west coast stores get their stock in first.

BTW, I checked with Jo-Ann Fabrics and they will be getting in a bunch of Tiki idols and related items within the next two weeks.

Yep. I'm in California. The planters are about three feet tall and run $90.

Did they say anything about stocking tiki fabric at Jo-Ann?

I asked one of the employees who was stocking on the floor. She said that the Tiki items they were getting were similar to what they had last year. I'm not sure if that includes the fabric?

BTW, as someone commented here previously, those 3 foot tall planters resemble huge Tiki mugs. (A little pricey though). If I do buy one of these I may garnish it with some fake fruit on a pole. =-)

[ Edited by: Tikinaut 2008-03-25 09:01 ]

I was out running errands today, and I stopped to check out the new summer tiki line at Jo-Ann Fabrics.

Oh my gosh. They very blatantly stole designs right off of the Pariarts website for their tiki wall hooks...and I bought one anyway. :blush: (I pulled the hook off because it was a very cheesy lime green.)

Jo-Ann didn't have any tiki fabric, but Hancock did.

Aloha all!

This is a very interesting post... and a big thank you to Tiki-Kate for sharing the information! I'd really be interested in seeing some of the other pariarts-like sign designs they are selling. If anyone else has any pictures of these from Jo-Ann Fabrics, please post them or email them to me at [email protected]. Also, please let me know exactly what the label on the back says!

For reference, here are our original handmade tiki lounge signs that I first designed in 2001:

And here is the link to our tiki sign catalog for reference: http://www.pariarts.com/cat/signs/catalog2.html

Mahalo!
Paul

They used this design also.

Paul,

If you haven't, you should register a copyright in your designs ASAP. You can find information on the process here. Registration is a prerequisite to suing for copyright infringement, so having registered your works puts a little more "oomph" in any letter you might send to Jo-Anne or other infringers. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Keep in mind too that Jo-Ann may not even know about the infringement. Like most retail stores they get their goods from suppliers. So you need to find out where those items are coming from. My guess would be China, which is notorious for ripping off intellectual property. IMHO, I think if you have an attorney write them a cease and desist letter demanding that those items be removed from their shelves (as they infringe on your copyright) that should suffice.

[ Edited by: Tikinaut 2008-03-30 09:48 ]

On 2008-03-30 09:34, Tikinaut wrote:
Keep in mind too that Jo-Ann may not even know about the infringement. Like most retail stores they get their goods from suppliers. So you need to find out where those items are coming from. My guess would be China, which is notorious for ripping off intellectual property. IMHO, I think if you have an attorney write them a cease and desist letter demanding that those items be removed from their shelves (as they infringe on your copyright) that should suffice.

Whether they know it or not, the sale of these signs amounts to copyright infringement. So, Jo-Ann's is just as liable as their mysterious supplier. A cease and desist letter is indeed a good first step, but I would also register the works with the Copyright Office.

Aloha again all,

Well, I just took a trip over to our local JoAnn Fabrics and.... wow, there they were. They are selling these little wall hooks based on our designs. They're part of a new "Summer Inspirations" display with a lot of other tiki stuff. These are only $2.99 each. I'm kind of upset now, that we had designed these for our own business and tried to make a living making them to order by hand... and now JoAnn's is selling these this summer in their 940 U.S. stores. We recently stopped taking orders because of the arthritis in my hands from five years on the scroll saw making these.... Wow, is all I can think to say.

I will pursue this tomorrow. I'd appreciate any more practical advice you all might have.

Mahalo,
Paul

registering for copyright is a good idea if you haven't...in this case it won't help you as the damage is done(but doing so will help future infringment cases), however your website is proof enough of infringement cause all the info is stored as to when you first put those signs on your website and all that data is admissable in court....it proves that you were making these first long before the fakes hit the market........odds are these are from china and they don't bother registering for copyrights over there, obviously so i wouldn't worry about them trying to trump you by registering for a copyright of your designs before you do.....however, had someone else registered these designs before you, that would cause a few problems, but again, your website data will save you....remove all porn if any from your computer incase they have to drag it in for analysis to retrieve any info for your case.....techinically, a work becomes copyright upon it's completion....filing is an extra, but worthwhile step, but not necessary (according to the library of congress copyright office).

Paul,

With all due respect to Tipsy, some of his advice is not quite correct. In my view, without fully understanding your situation and speaking generally, the best option is to register for a copyright. While registration at this point is too late to qualify for statutory damages (i.e. a set amount of money you can collect, no matter how low your actual monetary losses are), it is still not too late to register and then sue. You must register before you sue, but you can sue even if the infringement started before you registered.

And, you own the copyright whether they register it or not. The copyright attaches on publication. Registration is NOT required to own a copyright (only to enforce it in court). So, whoever published the work first (in this case, you), owns the copyright.

I'm happy to answer any other questions you might have.

[ Edited by: BrickHorn 2008-03-30 15:22 ]

[ Edited by: BrickHorn 2008-03-30 15:24 ]

I know there isn't a lot of love for JoAnn's in this thread as of late, but if it's any consolation, there was no sign of the hated Tiki hooks at my local store in New Jersey. I'm sure they're on their way :( but for now they are nowhere to be found. I did, however, find a trio of Tiki tea light holders.

They look like Tiki mugs only with cut outs in them for the flickering light to shine through. Needless to say, these guys can't hold their liquor. There were three color choices to choose from, pale orange, sky blue, and jade green, along with three designs in each color. So, you could buy one of each design in a single color or the same design in all three colors. I opted for one of each color, as well as one of each design for the most variety.

The retail price was only $9.99 but in true JoAnn's fashion, all of their new summer stuff was on sale even before it was all stocked on the floor. At 40% off each, the final cost per tea light holder was around $5.99. Not bad, eh? :D

Check 'em out in action:

Peace,
Peter

They had these same Tiki mug lanterns last year. I put them out on our window ledge for Halloween. All of the kids who came by trick'o'treating thought they were really cool. Just don't use them for making a Mai Tai! :wink:

On 2008-03-31 11:21, DejaVoodoo wrote:
I know there isn't a lot of love for JoAnn's in this thread as of late, but if it's any consolation, there was no sign of the hated Tiki hooks at my local store in New Jersey. I'm sure they're on their way :( but for now they are nowhere to be found. I did, however, find a trio of Tiki tea light holders.

They look like Tiki mugs only with cut outs in them for the flickering light to shine through. Needless to say, these guys can't hold their liquor. There were three color choices to choose from, pale orange, sky blue, and jade green, along with three designs in each color. So, you could buy one of each design in a single color or the same design in all three colors. I opted for one of each color, as well as one of each design for the most variety.

The retail price was only $9.99 but in true JoAnn's fashion, all of their new summer stuff was on sale even before it was all stocked on the floor. At 40% off each, the final cost per tea light holder was around $5.99. Not bad, eh? :D

Check 'em out in action:

Peace,
Peter

[ Edited by: Tikinaut 2008-03-31 11:35 ]

On 2008-03-30 15:00, BrickHorn wrote:
Paul,

With all due respect to Tipsy, some of his advice is not quite correct. In my view, without fully understanding your situation and speaking generally, the best option is to register for a copyright. While registration at this point is too late to qualify for statutory damages (i.e. a set amount of money you can collect, no matter how low your actual monetary losses are), it is still not too late to register and then sue. You must register before you sue, but you can sue even if the infringement started before you registered.

And, you own the copyright whether they register it or not. The copyright attaches on publication. Registration is NOT required to own a copyright (only to enforce it in court). So, whoever published the work first (in this case, you), owns the copyright.

I'm happy to answer any other questions you might have.

[ Edited by: BrickHorn 2008-03-30 15:22 ]

[ Edited by: BrickHorn 2008-03-30 15:24 ]

basically, that is exactly what i said....though not so eloquently....having been in similiar situatuions as this, i do have some experience in the matter..... but at least you get the general idea paul....hope this helps.

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2008-03-31 13:21 ]

..and jo-anns is probably not aware of any infringement and they are not manufacturers, only retailers....it is the supplier/manufacturer that is most likely to blame. whatever company made those is gonna have to account for what happened here with paul's designs....of course, continuing to buy them in light of what happened to paul doesn't show any support for paul or any designer whose stuff gets copied....in fact, that people continue to purchase these signs when they now know better, is what keeps perpetuating the problem...

sorry, this is not meant to guilt tiki kate..if she hadnt bought one and alerted paul to this right away like she did, it may have taken a little longer for him to nip this in the bud....

"operation chaos is in effect!! RUSH the vote 2008!!"

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2008-03-31 13:30 ]

On 2008-03-31 13:27, Tipsy McStagger wrote:
..and jo-anns is probably not aware of any infringement and they are not manufacturers, only retailers....it is the supplier/manufacturer that is most likely to blame. whatever company made those is gonna have to account for what happened here with paul designs....of course, continuing to buy them in light of what happened to doesn't show any support for paul or any designer whose stuff gets copied....in fact, that people continue to purchase these signs when they now know better, is what keeps perpetuating the problem...

sorry, this is not meant to guilt tiki paul..if she paul bought one and alerted paul to this right away like she did, it may have taken a little longer for him to nip this in the bud....

No offense taken. When I saw the hooks at Jo-Ann, I thought they were very reminiscent of Pariarts' style. It wasn't until I got home and checked their website that I realized they were identical copies.

Now back when I first saw the Whaler's Rum tiki mugs, I knew right away that they had taken their designs from existing Tiki Farm mugs. I still don't own any of those.

Going even further back, I did buy the t-shirt from Target that featured Bosko's artwork. Oops. I already confessed to him that I own this.

Hopefully, there will be some more swell tiki items to be purchased this spring that do not make use of anyone else's artwork without their permission.

On 2008-03-24 17:39, DejaVoodoo wrote:
Love those Home Depot planter pots! They're kind of like giant Tiki mugs! I may have to check them out in person...

Though it's not really a retail Tiki store find, I DID just purchase this 20" coco palm carved warrior Tiki

from http://www.bambooandtikis.com.

I kind of used him as the design inspiration for my web site so actually having the lil guy as an objet d'art in my personal Tiki collection will be nice.

Peace,
Peter

Well, my Warrior Tiki arrived today...looking quite different compared to the catalog page image previously posted above.

Still not a bad Tiki, but not quite what I was expecting...especially for the price I paid to ship all 20 lbs of it from San Diego! I have since e-mailed BambooandTikis.com to figure out why this product was falsely depicted on their web site.
Peace,
Peter

PS...Actually, looking at both images side by side, I get angry and I rather kind of hate the sub-par Tiki I wound up with.:x Bah! He may make a good plant stand though.

[ Edited by: DejaVoodoo 2008-03-31 18:24 ]

Just got back from Jo Ann and didn't see the copywriten tikis in question among the spring line which most of them looked like retreads from last season. However, I did wander to the Summer Inspirational collection and snagged this this cool 14 inch green tiki for 40% off, I think it will make a great centerpiece for the next luau.

[ Edited by: naugatiki 2008-04-05 19:52 ]

On 2008-03-22 09:40, Tikinaut wrote:
And while at Walgreens don't forget these ceramic Tiki salt and pepper shakers. Two for $1:

The Walgreen's near me had these but they were Toothpick holders instead of the S&P ones. Sculpt & glaze are identical to yours. There is a circle cut from the back corner in order to dispense the picks that fit inside.

On 2008-04-05 19:52, naugatiki wrote:
Just got back from Jo Ann and didn't see the copywriten tikis in question among the spring line which most of them looked like retreads from last season. However, I did wander to the Summer Inspirational collection and snagged this this cool 14 inch green tiki for 40% off, I think it will make a great centerpiece for the next luau.

[ Edited by: naugatiki 2008-04-05 19:52 ]

..cool - i was gonna post this but decided that after all the flak i got over my last big lots tiki post i figured let someone else take a bullet.....

these tikis are actually really cool in light of the usual crappy tiki carving one usually finds in places like joanns and big lots.......i picked up 2 of them but if anyone wants to get one, better hurry cause you should know that jo annes only carries 2 of these tikis.....why?, probably cause they are $49 each and didn't think they could sell a bunch.....the woman at the store said that was all they had and all they are gonna get....anyway, i bought the last remaining 2 at the jo annes on elston in chicago.....they also had a bunch of the pariarts paul knock offs, so they are still selling them as of last week......