Waikiki Club, Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, CA (bar)

Name:Waikiki Club
Type:bar
Street:
City:Avalon, Santa Catalina Island
State:CA
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:AValon 916
Status:defunct

Description:
Ted Enoch's Waikiki Club on Catalina Island
from inside of matchbook(no inside images,only text)
"Authentic Tropical Drinks
Finest in Entertainment & Dancing
Cocktail Parties Arranged For Your Group"
BOX E Phone AValon 916

Nothing else known about this place at this time.

[ Edited by: Tom Slick 2009-06-24 21:46 ]

[ Edited by: Dustycajun 2009-06-24 22:06 ]

Tom Slick,

Nice Matchbook.

Mimi has this menu for the New Waikiki on Catalina on her website (Arkiva Tropika).
I wonder if it is the same place or if they were connected?

DC

Hey DC, nice dig on the menu. I googled both the owner and the location(Waikiki Club, Catalina Island), but came up with NOTHING.

In any case, I wouldn't doubt that these are one and the same. It probably was sold by Ted Enoch, and the newer buyer probably renamed it to the "New Waikiki" along with that menu design. That would only be my guess. One would think that the Island would really be too small to accommodate two different Waikiki bars/clubs from the mid century timespan, but you never know unless someone confirms something... I wonder if the menu has the address or phone number inside, maybe even the PO box letter as on my matchbook?

EDIT I also noticed right now, that the Arkiva Tropika menu shows "Catalina Island", and my matchbook says "Santa Catalina Island". Not a huge difference by today's standards, but as I understand, the simpling down a name can also help to "period-date" items, as well as looking at the phone numbers. Also no use of the word "New" on the matchbook, vs. the menu.

[ Edited by: Tom Slick 2009-06-24 22:32 ]

I love that matchbook ! I just checked the inside of the menu, and there's no address... yet I do have a little bit of info:

The New Waikiki was located on Crescent Ave in Avalon, and was also next to the Hurricane Cove restaurant. (I corresponded with one of the family members of the Hurricane Cove earlier this year, and asked him about the New Waikiki...) He also told me that the Hurricane Cove is a bank now, the Waikiki is a golf cart rental parking lot.

so.... I did a quick google search, and since there's only one bank on Catalina, at 303 Crescent Avenue... that's where the Hurricane Cove was. There's a few golf cart rentals on 615 & 625 Crescent Ave, so I'm thinkin' it was somewhere between 303 & 625 Crescent Ave.

Oh yeah ! And here's a matchcover from the possibly another incarnation of the Waikiki Club... it has a different phone number than the Waikiki Club, yet the Crescent Ave. mention on the inside of the matchcover matches up with the info above.

Wow, thanks for sharing Pua...Now there are 3 phone numbers and all are different. There are two phone numbers on your matchbook, which neither match mine or the other. Could there have been different locations? Could one of them have burned down, and relocated? It could be that the Waikiki Club was a different section or area of the same property. I see words like Hotel, Club, and Hickory Room, which would lead me to believe maybe the place was bigger than I had originally thought. I agree with your address theory, Pua. Great research Pua and DC!

This is why I love TC! Everyone has a piece of the puzzle...I hope more of the pieces come together over time, to draw out a clearer picture!

Puamana,

That is a great matchbook, love the pose on the beach!

I have this postcard image from the Hurricane Cove which was just down the street from the Waikiki on Avalon. You can see some nice bamboo work and murals.

Cool that you talked to the family that owned it.

DC

Nice find on that napkin Hiltiki.

Here is another photo folder from the Waikiki from Arkiva Tropika. A nice shot of the interior.

These matchbooks list Carl Zeiner as the owner.

This obit indicates that the place burned down in the late 1970s.

DC

Here's an ad from a 1971 Catalina Island newspaper for the New Waikiki:

1958 Catalina Grand Prix

Waikiki Club souvenir "real photo" postcard. In-negative caption, verso completely blank

[ Edited by: nobikiniatoll 2015-10-25 14:41 ]

I got this email from Tim Miguel

"Hey, my mom,Wailana, was the entertainment at the Waikiki in the summers of 1960's as well as appearing at the Hurricane Cove. My brother and I would sit on the planter outside of the clubs and watch the people go by and look at her picture that was in the window. She was quite popular in those days. The Piasentini's, John and Mary owned the Hurricane in those days. My brother and I could never understand why everybody tried to get into the clubs to watch my mother dance, she was just our mother."

He also said that his mom was good friends with the owners of both the Waikiki and the Hurricane Cove as well as dancing at the Seven Seas in Hollywood and being on the Harry Owens TV show

Wailana at the Waikiki

Group photo at the Waikiki

Another pic to go with the 2 above

Here's 301 Crescent St now, not a trace of the New Waikiki

I found this old palm Moai at a residence on Beacon St between Descanso and Catalina. Perhaps a leftover from an old Tiki palace? Maybe I'll send some letters to houses in the neighborhood and see if anyone knows anything? But don't expect a speedy reply, I think the tour guide said the post office only delivers once a week LOL

[ Edited by MadDogMike on 2024-10-09 20:10:28 ]