Trader Vic's Warehouse sale returns!

Kier and Michelie and the rest of the staff were very helpful and always full of good cheer. They were bombarded with questions and took time to answer them all. They dug out stuff that was hard to reach and helped people load their vehicles. I know of nothing that was mis-represented. If they did not know where something came from or when it was made they said so. I even bought a few Tikis that I knew were not 50s-60s vintage, but as Midnite reminded me "it was in a Trader Vic's....that alone is worth a hundred bucks"

Before I bought the black velvet I asked if it was a Leeteg and they were not sure if it was Leeteg or a copy as it is not signed. It is old, huge, and from Trader Vic's....I like it. I also enjoyed talking to the lovely Eve about TV history, and some of the customers. I did not know that was you Psycho Tiki D.

As far as the negative crap....I think it was mainly from one member in Marina Del Rey. All of this member's posts are negative. Funny coming from someone that lurked for over a year, posted "Glad to be here", and recently "Some people don't come off as smooth as they think, and need help in their social skills" You described yourself perfectly! This person does not represent the majority of Tiki Central and shoud be ignored.

Anyway....thanks again to the wonderful ladies of the Trader Vic's Warehouse. You were what customer service is all about. Hope you are enjoying the puffer fish lamp in the netted float. Let me know wher you found a home for it.

Ron

[ Edited by: bongofury 2009-10-05 13:53 ]

On 2009-09-29 19:43, bongofury wrote:
Before I bought the black velvet I asked if it was a Leeteg and they were not sure if it was Leeteg or a copy as it is not signed. It is old, huge, and from Trader Vic's....I like it. Ron

Ron,

You got another Old Huge Black Velvet?? Where you gonna put it, I thought you were downsizing in that department??

Can wait to see it in the Rincon Room.

DC

I think CocoLoco is spot on with his assessment of the situation. Gigantic thanks to the TV Warehouse girls for letting us get our hands on some very coveted loot.

And Bongofury is also correct in that the nattering nabob of negativism is limited to an invididual, and neither Sven nor Tikimookie is it.

One thing that this thread cannot describe is the outright fun that a lot of people clearly were having at the sale... like kids in a candy store. I saw a wide spectrum of people make the drive out to the sale, from aloha shirt-clad guys to women in business suits. People there were clearly having a great time, and the good folks working there seemed more than happy to help out and share tidbits of info.

We young strapping lads of Team Quicksand have been busy hosing down, soaping up, scrubbing all around, and then oiling our poles. Oh, and we cleaned up our recent Vic's warehouse items afterward as well. So, the sale? Why yes, THE sale.

Thursday came and with it a dull and foggy morning. A small faction of tiki fiends were frothing at the bit to travel out Richmond way and spend serious amounts of currency at the Trader Vic's Warehouse. Si, it was once again time for that thrice in a lifetime, at the latest count, Vic's sale. Would there be sufficiently cool and rare items for us to gobble up? Oh, the anticipation was almost too much to bear.

Team Quicksand, with special honorary team member Ron, arrived early as we are fan boys of the first order. Alas, that level of fan boydom would not suffice as we discovered a more dedicated follower of all things Vician had rooted himself in Richmond some two and one half hours earlier. The young man's commitment was rewarded with a collectively agreed upon (minus yours truly's lone dissenting vote) "first dibs" on all the uber cool Polynesian Pop stuff. It was the best tiki spirit on full display. I hate that shit.

Oh, the treasures were many but I had trouble deciding on just which little bauble would most satisfy my learned eye and refined taste. So....I got a fish, sort of a partial fish, really. It's cool, and very dead, but it...well, it stinks. I was leaning toward the chicken bong at one point. It was a real airline food type moment: chicken or fish, sir? Considering my ample travel experience one would think I would be ready for such a decision. One would be wrong.

The items from Berlin and or Dusseldorf (is that really a town in Germany?) were the highlights of the wares for sale. I remembered quite a few of the items from my time in Berlin, they brought back memories of fine cocktails and Bonnie Tyler tunes. As I stood contemplating the neato artifacts I wondered if Trader Vic's had the staying power to succeed. You know, the proper business plan to last? I then walked over and perused the 75th Anniversary t-shirts. At that point I was greeted by a friendly woman and we proceeded to have a good talk about reality television. Later, she claimed to be somehow directly related to a Vic Bergeron or two. Was she? Not sure. Kier said more than likely she was but was not certain from which one.

The sale this year was a slightly more muted experience overall, a smaller crowd of the tiki faithful. Don't get me wrong, there was considerable excitement and school-girl giggles, and not just from me and Bill playing puppet theater with potted parrot cocktail sticks. It's just the first once in a lifetime sale had more "this is never going to happen again-ishness." That's the way I like my warehouse sales. There's just the one, you live your whole life, and then you die. That's it. Otherwise things get so confusing. I am not sure, maybe they know what they're doing selling the old inventory from closed locations to us few rabid tiki-philes willing to risk the Richmond industrial scene. I'll take them at their word on that. However, I am not entirely sure about the "Berlin door handles" I bought. I went to Berlin Vic's a few times and I distinctly recall a revolving door. Hmmmm...?

Whatever, Richmond is beautiful this time of year and it was good to get out and about. Kier and Michelie are always nice enough to put up with me for a reasonable period. I had a great time during my two visits to the warehouse and hope I live long enough to see another. If not, then maybe long enough for my stuff to become significantly aged. 'Cept the partial fish, it's without a doubt definitely old...and smelly.

Always about the love,
midnite

PS I will personally fight anyone who disses the Trader Vic's Warehouses Sale generally or the Warehouse girls specifically. As a true gentleman and Navy Grog, or is it the Tortuga?, aficionado I must defend their respective honor.

On 2009-09-29 20:28, Dustycajun wrote:

On 2009-09-29 19:43, bongofury wrote:
Before I bought the black velvet I asked if it was a Leeteg and they were not sure if it was Leeteg or a copy as it is not signed. It is old, huge, and from Trader Vic's....I like it. Ron

Ron,

You got another Old Huge Black Velvet?? Where you gonna put it, I thought you were downsizing in that department??

Can wait to see it in the Rincon Room.

DC

Pics Please.

And oh Ya,
Midnite, it was understood that when we joined, there would be no posts over three paragraphs long.
We have lives you know!

On 2009-09-28 17:23, Coco Loco wrote:
... Some of you may wonder why these items are being sold ...

These items are NOT being sold ... for any other reason
EXCEPT that they cannot reuse the items
as they were customized uniquely for the previous locations ...

what ?

Quote:

(instead of writing a gosh/golly fan boy post)

Quote:

Team Quicksand, with special honorary team member Ron, arrived early as we are fan boys of the first order.

midnite,

Glad to see I have now taken the back seat for gushing on about the TV sale. You are steadfastly El Numero Uno Fan Muchacho, at least until we see Mai Tai's post!

Where are your pictures? I don't remember the smelly fish!

PTD

TV and FI events occuring on the same weekend was summed up for me by this guy

Where are your pictures? I don't remember the smelly fish!

PTD

OH I do! Midnite gave us the special honor of wafting...well actually shoving it...under our noses. Maybe some Febreeze Midnite? :) It is cool though!

[ Edited by: Coco Loco 2009-09-30 13:08 ]

On 2009-09-30 00:06, icebaer69 wrote:

On 2009-09-28 17:23, Coco Loco wrote:
... Some of you may wonder why these items are being sold ...

These items are NOT being sold ... for any other reason
EXCEPT that they cannot reuse the items
as they were customized uniquely for the previous locations ...

what ?

I know it seems like an odd thing to say that the items cannot be reused. I was at the sale and the photos on this thread are very limited in their ability to tell the whole story.
A huge amount of the posts and Tiki's have plug holes in them to allow poles to go into them to form an overhang, a bannister, etc. and this structure would not fit into a new restaurant. Open plug holes and unfinished tops are acceptable to most of us with home bars but would look bad in a fine dining establishment. Could some of them have been resused with a little creativity? Yea, but the scale would often have been off. Why not start clean with some new poles from Oceanic Art etc. rather than try to re-purpose skinny poles that were cool but are only about 25 years old anyway.

Another point is that more than a few items were cracked severely. Cold Berlin can do that to tropical wood as can a voyage across the ocean. And as was explained to me by the main warehouse girl, a few contained some unseen rot.

I will admit that I was excited but a little dismayed at the same time that Trader Vic's was selling items that make up their heritage. From outside it might seem to some that they have less respect for the past than you would like. But then I actually attended the sale. Everyone there the first day, and I mean everyone was a huge Tiki nerd/fanboy/girl and complete strangers were striking up conversations. I even told one person in passing that I was from Palo Alto and he immediately said, "Oh you must be SuperEight." At 115 posts I am not exactly BigBro here but somehow he still remembered me. Any way I can only say that the items that were sold to the public went to serious lovers of this stuff. Some did not know a lot about this stuff but they really like it and there was no Craigslist posting the first day or maybe ever. New locations are given the run of the place and this is what is left over. And anyone like me who peeked behind the many curtains can tell you much, much more was not offered for sale. Its actually very encouraging that Trader Vic's even has a ware house, much less one that big. How much Tiki history has been lost to the saw and dumpster? I would say most. Trader Vic's did not do that. More than anything it was a happy time for most and it really had the feel of a horse auction and each kid got to go home with their own pony.

It is indeed a blessing that Trader Vic's has picked up the custom of actively repatriating their decor, case in point the recent Beverly Hills salvage success. This change in attitude is in part a credit to the Tiki revival. During the 80s and 90s this was often not the case, and much vintage art was lost. The earlier warehouse in Oakland was a desert when I visited it in the 90s.

It's funny that I am now being blamed for all the bad stuff. You people are a joke.
I was the second or third person to be mortified that TV's was selling everything
in the warehouse. This happens, especially in this economy. No, my realness (you say negativity) is geared for some of the hard-core fan boy-girl types who infest this site.

Coco Loco sounds like he or she needs a 3 day stay at a mental asylum. First CL obviously is targeting Sven, but when CL is called on it, I for some bizarre reason become the reason the reason TV's won't have another warehouse sale. That's straight b.s., from someone with too much time on their hands.

In fact I was at the sale, my curiosity had gotten the best of me. Eve and Kier had tremendous details on the pieces I purchased and were very nice. I spent a lot more money than I expected. My girlfriend had never seen the Emeryville TV's and we had a great time.

Where did I question the authenticity of any items involved in the sale?. Please be specific or shut up. If you're so thin-skinned as to be offended by my ranting posts, then it's on you. For me I am more interested in the tiki culture continuing after the bandwagon types jump off. I see here a lot of agendas which i don't like. I don't post to win a popularity contest, I have my own friends with their own interests. Someone needs to tell some truth. Forbidden Island is now a must-stop on my twice a month business trips to the Bay Area, so if anyone has something to say to me perhaps it be in person. I am not known to back off. Be nice.

On 2009-09-28 17:23, Coco Loco wrote:

Sadly, a few newbies decided to bash it for their own personal reasons.

As a result, this will most likely be the last time they open their warehouse doors to us. Which sucks for us as a few ruin it for everyone.

Damned newbies, always ruin everything. :lol:

Whatever....blah blah blah

Everyone has the opportunity to speak their mind. It's clear that some people like to argue. I'm not going to stoop to that level. I never named names, so I think that some people simply need to take a chill pill. That's all I'm going to say.

Frankie Gillete, if you have an issue with anything I've said, I suggest you call the warehouse directly and ask them about it. It will clear it up for you. They and everyone at the warehouse sale had a very specific take on it. Beyond that I really have no desire to speak to you again.

Again, thank you to to TV and the warehouse girls. It was a wonderful experience and we truly appreciated it. Have a wonderful day!

[ Edited by: Coco Loco 2009-10-04 09:33 ]

I went to the sale on Saturday and had a blast! Everyone was so helpful and nice! Even the other customers! I got a bunch of stuff-there was more I was really tempted by, and I'm hoping they open the warehouse again for us next year!

I grew up around TV's in the Bay Area and it's still the same classy place as always. I'm not going to be picky about if something was made last week or 50 years ago-it's still TV's and I'm proud of my hometown tiki institution! Classic classy tiki! Still going strong after 75 years!

Thank you warehouse girls for inviting us! You are as nice as I've heard! Please invite us back again sometime!

:drink:-Trader Vic's, home of the Mai Tai!!

Tacky

At first I was a little confused about FrankieGillette's point. I thought he was saying TVics shouldn't sell stuff and people from TC shouldn't buy it. But now I see it's much simpler...

FrankieGillette buys stuff at TVics warehouse = GOOD

Other TC people buy stuff at TVics warehouse = BAD

See, it's a good thing FrankieGillette went to the sale and bought stuff after all, because unlike him, the rest of us poor slobs will just be dumbfounded with no idea what to do with our TVics swag, "after the fad wears off." It'll all just end up in our garages, whereas FG will keep it eternally in a properly respectful place other than his garage. I only hope he wasn't foaming at the mouth like the rest of us when he took his road trip there. I thought I wiped most of the foam off, but I guess someone must've spotted it. I also hope no one in FrankieGillette's party was murdered. Thank goodness he warned us all about that too.

Since FrankieGillette pointed out that Trader Vics "really needs some direction" to correct their business model, I hope he also gave them some pointers and a good dose of his realness when he was at the warehouse. Hopefully that realness isn't just reserved for people on TC - without FrankieGillette's help, Trader Vics as we know it might be history!

But seriously... Thanks to the TVics gals for sticking around thru the weekend, and being so friendly and helpful, and even offering to take my camera to snap a pic of our family amidst the tikis.

-Randy

On a little more topical note, about this guy...

On 2009-09-28 17:21, croe67 wrote:
A little FUN with the Barney West Moai :wink:

So that one was a Barney West tiki! I didn't think to ask when we were there, but it definitely has that look. Just curious, did it sell (or was it for sale)?

-Randy

Randy, Good points....I smell smoke.

Sadly, for us, that Barney West tiki was not for sale. I looked and I asked. :wink: I LOVE that tiki...but I'm sure it's going to a good place.

On 2009-10-05 13:02, aquarj wrote:
On a little more topical note, about this guy...

On 2009-09-28 17:21, croe67 wrote:
A little FUN with the Barney West Moai :wink:

So that one was a Barney West tiki! I didn't think to ask when we were there, but it definitely has that look. Just curious, did it sell (or was it for sale)?

-Randy

On 2009-10-05 13:02, aquarj wrote:
So that one was a Barney West tiki!

C'mon Randy. This is my Wayne Coombs "tribute" to Barney West. You'll notice the similarities! :D

If that Barney West had been for sale and I was there....

GatorRob,

That is one awesome tribute Tiki! Is that the final color?

DC

On 2009-10-05 12:57, aquarj wrote:

See, it's a good thing FrankieGillette went to the sale and bought stuff after all, because unlike him, the rest of us poor slobs will just be dumbfounded with no idea what to do with our TVics swag, "after the fad wears off." It'll all just end up in our garages, whereas FG will keep it eternally in a properly respectful place other than his garage.

Don't forget the benefit of being educated on the '"anything tiki" group', who will buy up all of the stuff. The "anything tiki" crowd are dreadful, compared to the "true hipsters", who are in the know. Those "true hipsters" know they are hip, and it is a shame the "anything tiki" flunkies can't recognize that.

I'm just glad to know that we were able to contribute to the demise of Trader Vics, and not get murdered in the process. :)

I'm curious, what was the biggest appeal for most of the stuff being sold? Was it a good deal, price-wise? Were these unique designs? Does the fact they came from an offical Trader Vic's make them special?

With places like Oceanic Arts and all of our local carvers, why buy Tikis that are Asian "reproductions" shipped all the way from Europe? To be honest a lot of the goods I saw in the pictures looked similar to what I see being created and sold locally.

Maybe there's drugs hidden inside these things (That's a joke !!)

Just asking. :)

Drugs in Tikis, Crazy Republicans, Cats sleeping with Dogs, the world is going Nutso!!!

On 2009-10-03 19:43, FrankieGillette wrote:

It's funny that I am now being blamed for all the bad stuff. You people are a joke.

Actually in defense of Frankie Gillette, sometimes when this site falls into the cliquish/fanboy/geek abyss, Frankie is like a breath of fresh air. I love some of his classic (and funny) rants like:

"Don't confuse Tiki with Lounge. Two different things. Tiki is fat middle age guys in Hawaiian shirts, Loungers wouldn't be caught dead in that scene."

"Some Lounge people collected tikis casually, not the kind of mall middle class obsessive compulsive behavior here. This is more like high school with hard liquor. Many of you travel in packs, busting out the camera phone everywhere, buying into the culture. It's all good, but don't confuse the Lounge/Swing/Space Age pop movement of the 90's with your tiki tours."

Actually I'm not even sure he's for real. Check out his quotes like:

"I've owned a tiki bar, likely while the rest of you where going to discos or sweating in some open field listening to some hippie band."

"I went out on my own. Two stints in Viet Nam too. Tiki bar, fern bar. Steak house."

Anyone who was in Vietnam was probably a little long in the tooth to be part of the lounge revival of the 1990's. But Frankie, I do hope you are a real person.

Anyway please Hanford, don't ban Frankie. And Frankie, try to be a little nicer (but not too nice.) :)

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2009-10-06 17:27 ]

I find him offensive. A breath of fresh air is great. Honesty is great. But when someone says things just to elicit a response, it's not great. If upsetting people and then saying "I'm not going to apologize for who I am" is good, well let's all be that way! There how's that for honesty?

No one ever named blamed Frankie Gillete in the posts. He created the drama all by himself. And if one's into drama, well all the more power to them. But I'm not into trolls and Hanford goes out of his way and gives a very long rope before banning someone. If he's banned, then he's hung himself.

In terms of cliques and packs as Frankie refers to us, we're friends who have common interests. If someone feels excluded, then get off your ass and say hello. You might find that people are friendlier than you think.

I personally am the third generation into Tiki. My grandfather lived in Hawaii for nearly a decade through the early 30's, my mother grew up studying and dancing traditional hawaiian hula, as did I. And now I'm having fun on this site honoring America's vision of a Polynesia that never existed...but is truly Americana. So gee Frankie Gillette thanks for being the protector of all Tiki and Lounge life. And like Randy, I'm glad that no one in your family was harmed by going to that horrible section of Richmond.

On 2009-10-06 13:24, JOHN-O wrote:

On 2009-10-03 19:43, FrankieGillette wrote:

It's funny that I am now being blamed for all the bad stuff. You people are a joke.

Actually in defense of Frankie Gillette, sometimes when this site falls into the cliquish/fanboy/geek abyss, Frankie is like a breath of fresh air. I love some of his classic (and funny) rants like:

"Don't confuse Tiki with Lounge. Two different things. Tiki is fat middle age guys in Hawaiian shirts, Loungers wouldn't be caught dead in that scene."

"Some Lounge people collected tikis casually, not the kind of mall middle class obsessive compulsive behavior here. This is more like high school with hard liquor. Many of you travel in packs, busting out the camera phone everywhere, buying into the culture. It's all good, but don't confuse the Lounge/Swing/Space Age pop movement of the 90's with your tiki tours."

Actually I'm not even sure he's for real. Check out his quotes like

"I've owned a tiki bar, likely while the rest of you where going to discos or sweating in some open field listening to some hippie band."

"I went out on my own. Two stints in Viet Nam too. Tiki bar, fern bar. Steak house."

Anyone who was in Vietnam was probably a little long in the tooth to be part of the lounge revival of the 1990's. But Frankie, I do hope you are a real person.

Anyway please Hanford, don't ban Frankie. And Frankie, try to be a little nicer (but not too nice.) :)

[ Edited by: Coco Loco 2009-10-06 14:06 ]

[ Edited by: TIKI DAVID 2009-10-06 14:09 ]

On 2009-10-06 13:52, Coco Loco wrote:

I find him offensive.

Rude - yes, offensive - maybe, funny - very. He's so over the top that I can't take it too seriously.

Everyone's so civil on this site that it's like an obnoxious drunk crashing a formal tea party.

Sorry, I have a sick sense of humor. :)

please, don't derail or hijack this topic.

If you have issues with people bring them up with me, don't continue to post about it. It only prolongs rubbernecking.

Sorry, my bad. I was afraid of doing that but I figured the thread had run its course.

Let me put it back on track with my original unanswered question from the previous page:

I'm curious, what was the biggest appeal for most of the stuff being sold? Was it a good deal, price-wise? Were these unique designs? Does the fact they came from an offical Trader Vic's make them special?

It seems that most of these pieces were done 1980's or later, so what would make them more desirable than Tikis you could pick up at Oceanic Arts or a local carver?

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2009-10-06 18:15 ]

There were other things besides the Tikis. This Black Velvet painting was the first thing I bought. 37" X 25" plus the frame. I believe it to be a Leeteg ( I will try to add info in the Velvet thread). There was also a Charles McPhee velvet that I don't know if anyone purchased.

I also got this solid teak chair from the San Francisco Trader Vic's for $50.00.

They had some really big (16-20') Tikis in the 800-1000 range plus the vintage tikis (16') from S.F. TV for 2800-3200.

I bought a couple of Tikis including a 9' pole from T.V. Osaka, Japan for $300.00. Some newer netted 15" floats with holes for lights, T.V. bartender shirts (men's & women's) and some ceramic stuff ( sugar rum pots, shotgun mugs, conch shell for 10-12 bucks). The girls also gave away tapa wrapping paper, t-shirts, swizzles, etc with purchases.

There was a mix of vintage and newer stuff from the 80s and 90s but most came from a Trader Vic's. It was fun to look at and hear the stories as to where things came from. I was told some of the newer carvings come from Bali, Fiji, and Tonga.

Bongofury,

Thanks for turning this thread around in a positive way, and for showing off the new black velvet. Congrats.

The TV chair is really cool too. Not everyone can sit in one of those at home.

DC

On 2009-10-06 18:13, JOHN-O wrote:
Sorry, my bad. I was afraid of doing that but I figured the thread had run its course.

Let me put it back on track with my original unanswered question from the previous page:

I'm curious, what was the biggest appeal for most of the stuff being sold? Was it a good deal, price-wise? Were these unique designs? Does the fact they came from an offical Trader Vic's make them special?

It seems that most of these pieces were done 1980's or later, so what would make them more desirable than Tikis you could pick up at Oceanic Arts or a local carver?

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2009-10-06 18:15 ]

Really dude, passing judgement on someone on this site for wanting something from Trader Vic's is like traveling to Israel and then complaining about all the Jews. If you don't get the appeal you just don't get it. Here is another revelation: People who read Cat Fancy like cats. Also fish like water.

If you had actually been there Sunday you would have seen the warehouse completely empty out of customers just before 2:00 so people could support the Forbidden Island Parking Lot Sale. And there you would have seen many large Tiki's being sold and by golly they were made by a white man with a chain saw in the good old U.S.A.

"Really dude, passing judgement on someone on this site for wanting something from Trader Vic's is like traveling to Israel and then complaining about all the Jews. If you don't get the appeal you just don't get it. Here is another revelation: People who read Cat Fancy like cats. Also fish like water.

If you had actually been there Sunday you would have seen the warehouse completely empty out of customers just before 2:00 so people could support the Forbidden Island Parking Lot Sale. And there you would have seen many large Tiki's being sold and by golly they were made by a white man with a chain saw in the good old U.S.A."

Is it me or is it strange that the racial component is key to this guys content, as well as all those Jews. Weird analogy? Coco Loco, please check this out ASAP, I'd like the girls at the warehouse to weigh in on this as well. I ran into some Mongol M.C. members at Raider game & questioned "Monster Mike" on which motorcycle is the most tiki? My trigger finger hurt after that, nice to be back in So Cal.

ENOUGH ALREADY!

Would you all just chill out over a MaiTai & rediscover your ALOHA spirit!?!?

Please.

The warehouse was indeed somewhat empty on Sunday at 2:00 as we were there till 2:20 finishing up shopping. It was very sweet and considerate that they closed it early so that we could all go the FI sale. Back to Aloha, thank you girls.

Now lets see some pictures of your favorite purchases! Croe 67, I may have missed it, but would love to see a picture of your door acquisition...

On 2009-10-05 21:09, tikipedia wrote:

On 2009-10-05 12:57, aquarj wrote:

See, it's a good thing FrankieGillette went to the sale and bought stuff after all, because unlike him, the rest of us poor slobs will just be dumbfounded with no idea what to do with our TVics swag, "after the fad wears off." It'll all just end up in our garages, whereas FG will keep it eternally in a properly respectful place other than his garage.

Don't forget the benefit of being educated on the '"anything tiki" group', who will buy up all of the stuff. The "anything tiki" crowd are dreadful, compared to the "true hipsters", who are in the know. Those "true hipsters" know they are hip, and it is a shame the "anything tiki" flunkies can't recognize that.

I'm just glad to know that we were able to contribute to the demise of Trader Vics, and not get murdered in the process. :)

If you think your Hip, Guess what? your not Hip....

[ Edited by: Atomic Tiki Punk 2009-10-06 22:53 ]

ATP,

croe67 was spot on. I just got back from the Purple Orchid where I had my Mai Tai. I feel the Aloha now, so should you. :) BTW, how about adding more suggestions to my Film Noir thread? I trust your opinions bro.

well i couldnt make it to trader vics sale and seeing im not able to post on tiki finds i have to put todays find somewhere im not sure if this was used in a restaurant but it would have had to be specially made for someone on account of its size ,
now showing you this all i know is that these were made in smaller sizes from the phillipines and i believe sold in hawaii its 4.5 feet tall this isnt the ku i was looking for and i didnt have to travel to sanfrancisco to get it but sounds like i missed out on meeting somegreat people!!!

[ Edited by: brokeassbuilder 2009-10-07 01:19 ]

On 2009-10-06 23:04, JOHN-O wrote:

ATP,

croe67 was spot on. I just got back from the Purple Orchid where I had my Mai Tai. I feel the Aloha now, so should you. :) BTW, how about adding more suggestions to my Film Noir thread? I trust your opinions bro.

Tell me of this "Purple Orchid" you speak of ?

ATP, you're joking right? It listed under Locating Tiki:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=6160&forum=2&start=0&hilite=purple%20orchid

Also of all people I thought you would have responded to my Black Flag thread.

Please don't reply back to this thread, it's been hijacked enough.

Update - I meant to say don't reply back to MY post on this thread.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2009-10-07 23:51 ]

On 2009-10-06 21:29, Coco Loco wrote:
Croe 67, I may have missed it, but would love to see a picture of your door acquisition...

This one? :wink:

I think it should be on it's way home soon, too! :D

On 2009-10-07 23:28, JOHN-O wrote:

ATP, you're joking right? It listed under Locating Tiki:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=6160&forum=2&start=0&hilite=purple%20orchid

Also of all people I thought you would have responded to my Black Flag thread.

Please don't reply back to this thread, it's been hijacked enough.

Update - I meant to say don't reply back to MY post on this thread.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2009-10-07 23:51 ]

I am so confused ......
I have heard of the Purple Orchid, people have told me you gotta go, others say don't bother, so am big time confused as to stop in, it is so hard going any further then Don's these days, unless its Frankie's in LV.
Have not been to the Tiki Ti in a long while ether.

[ Edited by: Atomic Tiki Punk 2009-10-08 20:05 ]

On 2009-09-30 05:35, Psycho Tiki D wrote:
midnite,
Glad to see I have now taken the back seat for gushing on about the TV sale. You are steadfastly El Numero Uno Fan Muchacho, at least until we see Mai Tai's post!

Ray is going to be hard to beat as Numero Uno Fan Muchacho, but I'll give it a shot. Duane, you can be the judge.

Okay, now that birthday debauchery meltdown month is over, it's time to post my pics from the Trader Vic's Warehouse sale. Better late than never. :wink:

Day 1 - Thursday, Sept 24th
Bongofury was staying at my place for a few days, and we picked up Midnite on they way over to Richmond. We were slightly on the early side, but were surprised to discover that someone coughTrad'r Billcough had been braving the cold and fog in line since 6:30am!!! And dragged his sister there, too! :D

After torturing us for what seemed an eternity, Kier and Michelie finally open the gates promptly at 10:00am, and the madness begins!

Everyone gleefully sped up the ramp, like the drawbridge to Cinderella's Castle at Disneyland on opening day!

I liked this one a lot. Same goes for the tiki. :wink:

If I had unlimited funds, then I would have written a check for this piece, because I thought it was amazing! The photo doesn't do it justice.

Then we decided to break for lunch. Brenda, being a local Nickel Dime native - as myself - drove a bunch of us over to Val's Burgers in Hayward for an East Bay treat of burgers and shakes.

Then it was time to load up our loot. Here's the teak tiki pole that I snagged, in Bongofury's van.

After his purchases from the Trader Vic's Warehouse, and combining them with his merchandise for the Forbidden Island Parking Lot Sale, Bongofury's van was pretty much maxed out by the end of the sale! And believe me, it was fairly empty before, as Suzanne and I had to ride in the back on the way back from Val's Burgers!

Then it was time to celebrate at Happy Hour at Trader Vic's Emeryville!

Then on to our next stop, Forbidden Island!

Here is the tiki that I scored (my birthday present from Coco Loco - happy birthday to me!!!), and Midnite's tiki that was used as both an ashtray and a planter. Both are awaiting a good scrubbing and teak oil application.

Saturday, September 26th
Ray and I drag Michelle and Coco Loco to the warehouse, to see what's still available. There's still a surprisingly large amount of really good stuff.

Coco Loco ended up picking out the dark carved panels with the Maori face on the far right.

Some of you might have met my friend Scott, from SoCal. He was up in the Bay Area, so we dragged him to the warehouse sale as well. And he ended up purchasing this boat!

Scott also bought some carved panels as well. I think they were some of the ones pictured here.

I came really really close to buying this cannibal. Good thing I was broke!!!

Anyone need some tapa cloth? They were selling it by the square foot.

You know, everyone posted pics of all of the cool large stuff that was available. But there was quite a bit of cool smaller stuff, too!

Sunday, Sept 27th
We end up going back to the warehouse one last time, before the Forbidden Island Parking Lot Sale. We met Chad and Jenny there, and they helped us bring Scott's tiki boat back to our house in Chad's truck. Much much thanks, Chad and Jenny!!!

And there was still a ton of great stuff available! I just snapped off a few pics, and here they are.

I hadn't seen anyone post pics of these guys yet. I thought they were pretty cool.

We were pretty much the last ones to leave the sale, at around 2pm or so. We were pretty much the last ones there, and thanked Kier and Michelie for all of their efforts. As they closed up shop, we bid them, and the warehouse, adieu.

Then it was off to the Forbidden Island Parking Lot Sale, where more shenanigans ensued.

Here's one more pic to add to the thread "When Tiki takes over your house". It's deja vu, all over again!

The Aftermath
Wow, what a great week that was! The Trader Vic's Warehouse sale was fantastic, just like the previous warehouse sales. Kier and Michelie put a lot of thought, planning, and effort into this sale, and it showed! No matter how busy it was (and it did get really busy at times), they never hesitated to answer the barrage of questions sent their way about the history or details of the various merchandise there. And despite a couple of negative naysayings and the postings of a troll, which can be rather discouraging, especially when you are pouring a huge amount of effort into an event that is targeted particularly at the people on this site, they still kept their chins up, and kept moving forward. You know, they read these posts here on TC, just like the rest of us, and it can be disheartening to read a couple of well designed negative posts that are meant to bring pleasure to the one person posting at the expense of others. All of the folks at Trader Vic's deserve the highest of praise for their efforts in trying to bring this sale to us - a big thank you from Coco Loco and me to Michelie and her husband, Kier and her brother Tate, Eve Bergeron, and all of the good folks at Trader Vic's in general! Your efforts were greatly appreciated, and I hope that you continue to have more warehouse sales in the future!

Even though there were a couple of troll posts and some grumblings from some surprising sources, (hey, it's the internet, that stuff happens), there still was an overwhelming feeling of support from just about everyone on this thread. And the overall camaraderie felt by everyone at the sale was amazing - what a good way to spend a birthday weekend hanging out with Coco Loco, Ray and Michelle, Ron, Caroline and Rob, Suzanne, Brenda, Duane, and many many others - it was a birthday for the ages! And even though I am going to repost some pics from above in this thread, I feel they are a reflection of what this warehouse sale, and going to Trader Vic's in general should be about: escapism, and having a good time!

Look at the smiles on those faces! Having a good time indeed! My biggest suggestion is that we all partake in more of these good times at Trader Vic's, whether it's their awesome happy hour, drinks, or dinner, or whatever. Go there, enjoy, and have a great time! Support your local Trader Vic's!

P.S. FrankieGillette - was it all the times that you were forced to watch "Swingers" in your "How To Be A Hipster" class in community college that turned you into a douche bag, or were you just born that way?

"Ray is going to be hard to beat as Numero Uno Fan Muchacho, but I'll give it a shot. Duane, you can be the judge".

Bill,

It appears to be a close tie, but if I had to pick just uno, I would have to tip my cap in your direction. You were a little light on the gushing side, but your persistence and repeat visits, coupled with your pictures and commentary gives you the slight edge over Midnite. Obviously if we were all driving somewhere, you would be the captain, nite the navigator and lil ol me would be in the prone backseat position, as far as "fan-boys" goes.

BTW~how much was the tapa going for by the foot?? Having scored another piece that information would be helpful.

Thanks for the pics and post, finally!!

PTD