Official Introductions Thread. New Members, Post your introduction here...

Hey all! Adam here...brief intro: 30 y/o in NJ and was fed up with my disgusting sand & weed backyard, decided to create an oasis for after-work relaxation ...so far I've ended up with a pretty decent start and am just looking for some recommendations on finishing off the Caribbean/Tiki decor.

You can check out my progress so far here (feel free to make recommendations):
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=28563&forum=1&23

[ Edited by: ahansen77 2008-06-04 07:06 ]

Welcome Hansen!

That white is out -a- site!!!

Alohas!

On 2008-06-04 08:03, RevBambooBen wrote:
Welcome Hansen!

That white is out -a- site!!!

Alohas!

Thanks Ben! You are my idol...your work is just...SICK. I wish you were closer to lend a hand, then again judging by the quality, I probably couldn't afford your services HAHA...

Hi all. Well I'm guess I'm not a new member in the sense that I signed up back in 2002...but I never got involved too much and recently came back "online" a few weeks ago and only today stumbled across this thread, so it feels new to me! At any rate, my name is Nick and I live in Northern California (within driving distance of Forbidden Island and Trader Vics...thank God!). I caught the Tiki bug like a lot of folks...the Tiki Room at Disneyland. Since then I've always been drawn to it. Thank goodness I met the perfect woman who shares the interest! At any rate, this forum is fantastic and I look forward to taking a more active part in the discussions.....maybe even embark on a carving project or two! Mahalo!

Another new member here. I've been collecting tiki for about eight years, and checking out the messages here on Tiki Central for a while, but never gotten around to registering...looking forward to joining the discussions! Also looking forward to attending my first Tiki Oasis this year!

Hi! waves new n00b here! My name's Jade, this has to be the 4th time i try to write my introduction post and since i can't come up with anything witty I'll leave it as is. oh yes, I felt the need to share the great news, I just bought the The Ghastly Ones mug, exciting isn't it!? Yes, that is all.

Hi,Everyone new to website and I am looking for info on building a patio cover out of Bamboo.Any info on plans or where to buy bamboo would be a big help. I live in South Orange County In Southern California.

Aloha, new Tiki pals!

I hope I'm doing this right.... my first post!

I want to get everyone psyched up and onboard for the Denver Modernism show's expanded TIKI LOUNGE area! Our Tiki Bar - hosted by Brian Clark and Tiki Boyd - has always been really popular.

This year, we're doing an entire Tiki Lounge area - with tiki vendors, tiki home decor, etc etc....

General show info is at http://www.denvermodernism.com This will be happening Aug. 15 - 17. I know it's the same weekend as the shindig in San Diego (We had to move our show up to accomodate the DNC convention). But I'm hoping we can still get a great turnout of Tiki stuff!!!!

Last year we had nerly 3,000 people come to our show! And we had 100 modernism vendors from across the US!

Would love any and all feedback on the new Tiki Lounge area at the Modernism Show!

Thanks,
Dana
http://www.denvermodernism.com

Welcome aboard fellow Britiki

MODERNISM Show

Dana,

Welcome to TC! I like the fact that your show appears almost completely modernism.
Here in Washington DC we have a yearly Art Deco show that turned into a Deco/Modernism
Show that was then merged with another period antique show (?????).FOR me a ONE theme
show & stick to it is the way to go.

Like the idea of the Tiki bar & live surf music band.

Thortiki

ALOHA from Connecticut !

Hello to all!!! I have been surfing since I was 9. The surf culture and Aloha spirit have always been a part of my life. My wife, Corinna, and I have been into Tikiness for years, but have only just recently discovered the grand events, other tiki freaks, and the whole tiki community. I just signed us up for the Tiki Oasis, so we will see you there. We live in San Clemente, CA and surf as much as possible. Anybody living or visiting in the area is welcome to stop by for a day at the beach with a cooler full of cocktails!

A big warm Tiki welcome to all the newbies. Glad to see ya getting on board in time to make some of the major Tiki events. Have fun surfing and reading, this is an addictive board. :)

Delighted to be a member of this community and all the talented people that abound here!

Aloha all.....
Imagine my surprise to find a group so large that it sports over 8000 members. I have always loved the tiki thing, but never knew it had a name or a category.

To me it was kitchy beach culture that I have collected all my life, and because of the nature of the stereotype, I kind of lurked in the closet. I kept the tiki stuff around the studio, collected the masks and all sorts of Hawaiiana, but believed I had my own weird fascination and obsession.

Then while one day while wasting time in the library, I found a book in the interior design section. It was "Tiki Modern". My eyes were opened and I was thrilled that there was a culture of people out there that enjoy the genre. I also felt very stupid at the same time, this culture had obviously been around for a long time and in all of my 46 years I have never encountered it.

The word Tiki as descriptive term never occurred to me. Since that fateful day....only several months ago, I have searched the web and discovered a entire planet of what I used to call "islanders". There is so much out there, and, I want it all!

Welcome ahvyna and Nolumu.

WOW! This community is fantastic! So I decided that my first big gathering in my home would be tiki themed. So many ideas from here, but I'm going to stick to the basics since this is my first time.

Yours,

Sumi

OK, after some encouragment from my fellow TCer's I've decided to stick around. So no hard feelings towards anyone I'll just reintroduce myself.

Hi all! Glad to be onboard! :tiki:

On 2008-06-02 12:00, blue.octopus wrote:
Hi!

I'm a relatively new Tiki fan, having only just really gotten in to it in the last few months. I live in London, UK - so finding Tiki culture over here is pretty hard.
I recently checked out Trader Vic's, Mahiki and Trailer Happiness and look forward to checking out a few other places as well.
I guess I was drawn in by lingering memories of a Hawaiian holiday 4 years ago and an increasing taste for rum cocktails.

Welcome! There's a growing crowd in UK!

On 2008-06-03 15:14, Pikeys Dog wrote:
Hi there,

The names Joe.

Ha!Ha! :lol:

It could only be an English username!!

Welcome...

Hi,

Lover of Tiki! our whole shop in Los Angeles is a tiki fantasy! Here to meet people with similar interests!

Ha!Ha! :lol:

It could only be an English username!!

Welcome...

Thanks,

Yep, only a Brit or a fan of the film Snatch might get it...

Aloha!!
My name is Todd and I live in Lake Havasu City,AZ. I have been a fan of the tiki lifestyle for a long time.This website is the spot for sure! I have been visiting this site for a long time and I just now registered to be a member. I hope to make many tiki friends here and to avoid any drama that might come up in other lifestyle websites. I can't wait to get started!:)

Hello all, aloha!

I've been lurking here for sometime now, finally decided to register. I'm a transplant from Florida living in SoCal. Looking forward to getting to know you, and hopefully meeting some of you at Tiki-ti on Sunset and Tiki Oasis in August. I just started painting last year after a 22yr hiatus, and just started tiki painting this year.

Hello everyone, I'm just writing to introduce myself! I first found out about tiki when I visited Disneyland in California as a little girl and visited the Tiki Room! What a cool place that was! Since then, I've discovered a lot of vintage Tiki stuff from helping clean out my grandfather's house. He had quite a collection of strange vintage bar goodies, even some weird bar stuff that would be considered very inappropriate by today's standards. Back then people really knew how to take a joke!

Thanks for letting me post!

-Helena the Civil Savage

On 2008-06-17 16:57, CivilSavage wrote:
Hello everyone, I'm just writing to introduce myself! I first found out about tiki when I visited Disneyland in California as a little girl and visited the Tiki Room! What a cool place that was! Since then, I've discovered a lot of vintage Tiki stuff from helping clean out my grandfather's house. He had quite a collection of strange vintage bar goodies, even some weird bar stuff that would be considered very inappropriate by today's standards. Back then people really knew how to take a joke!

Thanks for letting me post!

-Helena the Civil Savage

Welcome. And by all means, please post the inappropriate stuff along with rest, because we like to see it here and believe me, as you will soon find out, everyone one here knows how to take a joke!

Psycho Tiki D (I know I am and inappropriate stuff is my middle name)!

Aloha newbees! You all sound so much more interesting than... than those boring people that walk the streets by day and watch American Idol by night!

Edsean in the house, how’s everybody doing here? I’m a newbie here and it’s nice to be part of this forum. I really love sharing thoughts and having a conversation. I’m a people person, I’m from Florida but I’m now based here in California for good. I hope to hear form you guys soon. More power to you all and see you around.

I can't begin to explain how much I enjoyed my first Hukilau and my first visit to the Mai-Kai this past weekend!! Unfortunately, I was only able to make it to the Sunday finale but my girlfriend and her mom were there all three days and explained in great detail what I missed and picked up some great swag for me to make up for my lost time. Even so, I had a great time and was pleased to see how friendly everyone was. It was a great experience to be made to feel so welcome!

Aloha,

Scott from San Antonio, Texas here! I joined this message board about 2yrs ago but just got around to posting my intro. My wife, Stacie (aka Heelgrinder) and I enjoy collecting vintage Hawaiiana and tiki artifacts. I have a day job to take care of those mundane details like paying the mortgage, utilities, etc, but my passion is junkin! Every chance I get to roach around a flea market, estate sale, thrift store, or yard sale, I'm ON IT! I dig 1940's and 1950's vintage clothes including, but not limited to, rayon Hawaiian shirts. I sell vintage clothing at the Viva Las Vegas weekender under the name Top Stitch Vintage. My wife and I attended our 2nd Hukilau this year and brought along a couple friends from San Antonio...we all had a blast. I'm looking forward to participating more frequently on this message board in the future.

Scott

Hi everyone! I've just rediscovered my love of tikis within the last couple of years and have decided that I should start carving of my own. shttps://tikicentral.com/uploads/9255/4861368f.jpg
https://tikicentral.com/uploads/9255/4861368f.jpgome

Hello. My name is Debbie and I live in Chicago. When I was 5 or 6, my parents used to take my brother and me to the Chicago TV for dinner, so I had an early introduction to tiki. I didn't develop the collecting bug for tiki until about 2 years ago when my fiance decided to build a home tiki lounge. I've been lurking here for a while, but have never posted, as I didn't think I had much to contribute. My fiance, Numatiki, and I attended the Aku Tiki auction yesterday. It was a great time and now I finally have something worth posting! :)

I have loved Tiki since childhood. Somewhere between visiting the "Enchanted Tiki Room" at Disneyland, occassional special birthday dinners at Trader Vic's and spending summers in Hawaii with my retired grandparents, I fell in love with Tiki. I had no idea until recently that Tiki had been revived or had a following. I thought most people viewed it as a tacky fad from a bygone era.

But what could be better than listening to some Arthur Lyman exotica while sipping a huge fruity rum drink by torchlight? It's just good fun.

Cheers!

[ Edited by: Chinarose 2008-06-25 23:03 ]

Hello everyone, I have been into Tiki and Exotica for about 12 years now. Mostly through music, not much in the way of tiki stuff.(Does booze count?) I am landlocked here in Kansas along with another tiki enthusiast, my wife. We make the best of it with outdoor cooking in the summers and tropical drinks. Some day we will have a more suitable tikified abode in more suitable weather, hopefully.

Cheers

Aloha and welcome Tikiton. You are in the right place.

Welcome Albino! Post pics of what ya got! It don't cost nuthin'
I was fortunate enough to visit the TV at the Palmer house b4 it closed. We get to the windy city often on work and it is missed.

Welcome Tikiton..... Booze counts!

Hello! What's shakin'?

After years of off and on lurking, I've finally decided to join Tiki Central. What was it that finally got me to join? Well, I too stood in that 5 hour hell at Disneyland for tiki goodies this past Sunday. I hopped on here to see if others were venting... and after reading the venting, I felt an intense kinship!

I have a small tiki collection, around 40-50 mugs. I don't collect all items tiki. If I find something that is not a mug I like, I give it to my brother. He is the big collector. His entire apartment is tiki. (I need to get him to join one of these days). I also enjoy going to tiki events and tiki bars on the rare occasions I have the time. I've gone to the Tiki Farm sales the past few years... I'm sure I've actually seen quite a few of the members on here! When I lived in LA, I frequented the Tiki-Ti on a monthly basis. When ever I travel, I make sure I look to see if there is anything tiki I should be visiting.

For the most part, I collect mid century modern. Not high end stuff, I can't afford that. I also collect cocktail shakers (hence the name I chose for myself). But I have pared that down considerably. (Down to around 50 or so... i used to have 100's). When I lived in LA, I use to go to estate sales in the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys and I use to sell at the Rose Bowl. But after things got harder to find, and competition became too fierce, I decided to just do a little collecting for myself. It took me forever to get rid of the storage units of stuff!

My goal lately has been to keep things clean and simple (which is almost anti-tiki, I know... haha). But I find that it makes things easier that way (less cleaning!) That is why I now just keep/buy things that I actually like, not just keep/buy because they are tiki or barware or mid-century, etc...

I've included a photo of most of my tiki collection.

Well, I hope to frequent Tiki Central more often. Perhaps I'll even be able to contribute something more than just this simple introduction, sometime in the future.

Take care,

Tiki Shaker

[ Edited by: Tiki Shaker 2008-06-28 17:31 ]

Hi there,
Another newbie on this site - hope to meet lots of interesting people here!

Aloha. It took me long enough but I finally joined up. Yes folks - there are tikis in the mountains!

On 2008-06-30 20:29, Finkitiki wrote:
Aloha. It took me long enough but I finally joined up. Yes folks - there are tikis in the mountains!

I knew there had to be! A few of us will be in Reno July 18-19. I know that's not exactly down the street from Tahoe, but if you want to join us at Trader Dick's for a cocktail then come on over Finkitiki.

On 2008-06-30 20:29, Finkitiki wrote:
Aloha. It took me long enough but I finally joined up. Yes folks - there are tikis in the mountains!

Finkitiki,

Welcome aboard and glad to hear you are close by. If you get a chance, could you venture over to the Magic Carpet mini-golf course there in Tahoe and snap some shots of the Moai and Tikis they have there for us? I'll be taking some shots of the Moai in Reno's Magic Carpet mini-golf course the weekend of July 18th.

And by all means, join us (Psycho Tiki D, Mr and Mrs alohacurrent and tiki hammer) at Trader Dick's on July 18th and 19th, we will save you a spot!

Psycho Tiki D (I know I am and yes, that seat is taken)!

ALOHA

Just taking a moment to introduce myself. I've been a collector, craftsman, and dj devoted to the great Tiki Gods for at least 15 years now. Just though it's about time I used the ol' interweb to meet up with other aficionados and share some images of my work, chat about related topics and just keep up on all things exotic in general.

Looking forward to interacting with y'all and look for some of my sculpts over in the carving forum.

Thanks!

H'llo from Sunny Singapore!

Must have been at least 10 years of listening to Martin Denny, Les Baxter, let's not forget the great COMBUSTIBLE EDISON!... and since that great Taschen Sven hardback bible, i have finally taken the plunge.

Bought me first tiki mug a couple of hours ago.

Aloha to all ya from the South-East of Asia!
:)

[ Edited by: QuietVillage 2008-07-02 22:28 ]

[ Edited by: QuietVillage 2008-07-03 00:08 ]

Hi all,

First time poster here. I co-own a Chinese Contemporary Art gallery (www.redstarpress.com.) I'm a huge fan of Shag and Thor (visited his store in Waikiki last year.)

We just launched our site earlier this week and while it's not Tiki I think the Asian references maybe relevant for some of you collectors. I'll post in the Marketplace section with details.

I have been lurking for a bit also. I have collected tiki mugs, actual tikis and all that goes along with the obsession for a few years now. I read the poor guy that waited at Disneyana store for 5 hours, I was in the park riding away and did not know about it until I left at noon and saw a lady on the tram with bags full of tiki stuff. I have a season pass, guess all of you save me the money by buying all of the stuff, thank you :wink:

What has brought me to your site was a search for a shag tomorrowland aloha retro shirt. I saw another person with one on and it was amazing. Guess I missed that one too. Oh well. I have to stay current and maybe the good folks here will do just that. Hi to all!
KMRN

ALOHA!!! ALOHA!!! ALOHA!!! MAHALO!!! MAHALO!!! MAHALO!!!

I went to my 4th tiki event at Kona's last night and had a blast!! Tikiyaki Orchestra was great but unfortunately the cops closed us down AND gave the owner a ticket. LAME! The food was amazing and I got to see some TikiCentralites ohana and meet new ohana as well.

I love Tiki! I am so excited to have discovered this community with my bf, Jason Wickedly. We are looking forward to Tiki Oasis and can't wait.

Hope to see most of you there!!

Aloha kaua - I was pleased to find the TC website and join a community of those who like tiki. Living in the islands for all my life it is awesome to see so many of you enjoying our culture which includes tiki. I will be glad to share my knowledge with the TC community.

Aloha from Rancho Cucamonga!
Decided to finally sign up after meeting WooHooWahine at the incredible Kona out near Huntington Beach yesterday. That place is killer, and filled with nice folk.
Can't believe I've missed so much cool stuff this summer by not paying more attention to these forums. Ain't gonna let that happen again!
Me and the missus both come to the way of tiki via child-hood excursions to both Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic's in Dallas, TX back in the 70s. Great memories of crazy jungle restaurants in the middle of the Texas prairie were locked away for years and then happily shared once we met each other years later.
We're now semi-sometime-regulars at the Tiki-Ti, have logged some decent hours at the Tonga in San Francisco, visited Bahooka, and just discovered Kona. FUN!
Here in Cucamonga, we put together a small, yet most effective tiki party balcony overlooking the Empire Lakes Golf Course and Cucamonga Peak in the San Gabriels off in the distance. There's been a LOT of rum and fruit juice consumed out there.
Lookin' forward to hangin' out with you folks.
Mahalo!
-CC