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Tiki Central / Collecting Tiki

Barefoot Trader Polynesian/Tiki Stores

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OK, here is another image from the Barefoot Trader brochure (seen on ebay).

This one shows a great rendering of the sister store in Florida and has a picture of the Trader's Hut fruit punch bar ..... is that a Barney West Tiki on the left??

How would you like to wear that bartenders costume all summer!
(are those Crypto Mugs on the counter?)

DC

[ Edited by: Dustycajun 2010-03-12 17:31 ]

Spotted a few more items from Poly Pop stores in California.

An ashtray on flikr from the Alberg Tropical Plant Rental and Hawaiian Supplies in the Bay Area.

A matchbook from the Coral Reef Imports in LA, surprised this was not listed in the telephone ads posted by Bora Boris.

Wonder if the folks at OA remember these places?

DC

Picked up an oversized postcard from Waltah Clarke's Hawaiian Shop in Palm Springs.

Close ups of the card.

Waltah had a bunch of locations stretching from Disneyland to Las Vegas.

Also a motto we can all abide by "Fun First, Business Afterwards"!

DC

I love that photo! Though it is already published in Pete Moruzzi's "Palm Springs Holiday" http://petermoruzzi.com/ ,
I am thinking about using it in Look of Tiki, it is so good.

Bigbro,

I agree, Waltah Clarke's should be in the Look of Tiki.

Here is a photo of Gretchen Clarke who created Waltah Clarke's in 1952. She was the Waltah!

Some info from her memorial.

Clothing designer Gretchen Clarke has died in California at age 78. She ran Waltah Clarke's Hawaiian Shops in Hawaii and on the mainland with her husband in what was once the nation's largest retailer of aloha wear.

Waltah Clarke's Hawaiian Shops started in 1952 with the opening of the first shop in Palm Springs, a year before Gretchen Clarke met her future husband during hula lessons at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The couple grew Waltah Clarke's to more than 30 stores on the mainland and Hawaii.

Cameron Clarke says his mother designed most of the company's clothes and prints.

Gretchen Rocked!

DC

D

Did I post this in the wrong thread? I did a search and saw nothing of it posted yet. Funny ...
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=14543&forum=13&start=855&869

Tiki car sales

On the Pacific Coast Highway.

DC

The Cape Cod location today.

A few more old photo shots of the Barefoot Trader.

DC

Found this great ad on-line from Waltah Clarks.

Located in Las Vegas across from the Stardust and the Aku Aku.

Other locations in Palm Springs, Laguna Beach, Balboa, Disneyland, Scottsdale and Chicago. Chicago??

DC

Another Tiki beauty saloon in Sacramento.

Why do the hairdressers always have such exotic names?

DC

Here is another postcard I have showing the flaming Moai at the Barefoot Trader in West Yarmouth, Mass.

A cool feature, would look good in the backyard!

Also spotted this cool Barefoot Trader footprint ashtray on ebay.

DC

Drove by there, again, a couple of weeks ago. It's just a sad shell of its former self.

The Tropical Trader at 2600 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, Florida:

This is a press photo from July 1968, announcing the demolition of the property. Looks like it was an old turn-of-the-century house converted into a store.

The Tikis out front appear to be the cheaper mass-produced Orchids of Hawaii versions that we see near at the tail-end of the tiki heyday, and not the finer-carved examples from earlier years:

Inside the front window I see what might be a carousel horse spanning the first 2 windows.


[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy 2013-05-04 18:51 ]

Nice zoom-in work! I expected to be standing IN the store next :)

Wonder WHO made those Tikis for Orchids of Hawaii, they must have sold a ton. At least these don't seem to be painted...

Fabulous post Sabu!!!

I've just re-joined after many years of TC absence, and this entire thread is worthy of the Book of Tiki Part Two! It is almost stunning to see these types of images; it is, in a way, like time travel. Especially for those of us so far from the West Coast. Finally, it sort of gives me hope that many of the things sold in the afore-mentioned unusual retailers will eventually show up in thrift shops or collectible stores. Excellent images, scanning and commentary!

A great ad from Palley's in southern California for their Hawaiian sale.

You could get everything you needed from Tiki mugs, salt and pepper shakers and lighters..

to Tiki shirts and Mumus

to glass floats

to Tiki torches and Luau cookout supplies


to hats, bongo drums and Polynesian paper goods

All for under $20.

DC

[ Edited by: Dustycajun 2014-06-08 09:24 ]

OK, how about the Tiki's Tropical Imports shop from Disneyland. A few photos from the Google.

The shop got remodeled and the Tiki's name was dropped in the 1960s.

It looks like those Giant Clam-shells are sitting on top of two carved Tikis.

DC

Spotted this old brochure from the Polynesian Traders located on Holly in Huntington Beach.

They carried a wide array of bamboo products for home and backyard decorations with some great illustrations for decorating ideas.

Anyone heard of this one before?

DC

RR

Small dish

I just got a haircut and was reminded of this matchbook from Ron-Tiki Hair Fashions in Fresno.

DC

Nice ad from a close out Sale at the Tiki Shoppe.

Back in the day you could find Tiki everywhere, even at Sears!


DC

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