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

Welcome everyone!

Greetings all you new folk! I don't think I ever posted here when I signed up, so I figured I might as well take a moment now.

I'm Ryan. I live in Orange County, CA. Was a long time lurker on TC before I created an account. My love of Polynesian pop dates back to an early affinity for tropical locales and hawaiian shirts, and a fascination with fearsome stone and wood carvings seen in various places growing up. I really stumbled onto TC and a real passion for tiki muggery when I moved to SoCal and fell head over heels for the Enchanted Tiki Room. At the same time, a friend introduced me to Shag. In doing research on both, I quickly became engulfed in the world of pop Polynesia. Many dollars and drinks later, I'm still loving it! Hoping one day to create a little tiki bar in my own house. And, you'll all be invited to the inaugural party!

Aloha til then!

Aloha everyone!

Huge tiki/Polynesian fan from La Crescenta, Ca. I've been intrigued by the subject from a young age (I think Disneyland's Jungle Cruise did it!) but have really been into it heavily for the past few years. I posted here in the forums a while back ( http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=40990&forum=18 ) but never got around to putting and intro message here, so here it is! Now that I've been totally bitten by the tiki bug I wanted to change my username to a more tikified one as well. Super excited to be "back" and I look forward to making new friends and basking in all the tiki goodness.

Thanks & Mahalo!
Trader Gino

[ Edited by: Trader Gino 2013-06-09 20:54 ]

Hello!!

So I'm a new member but a long time lurker.. And I met a few of you the other day at the Tiki marketplace at Don the beachcombers!!

Right now, I'm attempting to transform my house, which is a 1927 Spanish bungalow (in so cal!) into my own enchanted tiki room

Yep, I was a Disney kid!! Mmmm..dole whip..

Anyways, I married into this house, and I was handed down two tikis from grandmas backyard..

So here I am.. And once I'm on a laptop or figure out how to post pics from
My iPhone.. Ill share what I've done so far!!

Savannah

Hey kids, be sure to check out the Instagram thread under Ohana. I recognize a name or two from there.

Evening all (well it's evening in the UK anyway).
New to the forum so just saying hello.
Just starting to collect tikis and have begun the job of redesigning the decor in the house and garden a bit.

Houdy all from the fair island of Nashville, in the deep south pacific. Long time lurker first time poster, i just had to tell someone about this score. The mug find of a lifetime the MahiMahi from Oceanic Arts.Ka-Boom MOFOS!

A very nice score, Trader X! I had to run to Ooga-Mooga to look it up... VERY nice score!

Welcome to TikiCentral, and keep looking for more great mugs. It's always fun when you can make the rest of us jealous.

Aloha!

Another long time lurker finally moved to register and start contributing. I've had a lifetime interest in the South Pacific and Hawaii but didn't know what to call that interest until a few years ago when I was lucky enough to get a copy of the Book of Tiki...now it has a name! I count myself lucky to have Kon Tiki only 90 miles away in Tucson, and my part-time military job took me to Hawaii twice last year...lots of fun! I've learned so much since finding this forum and look forward to being a part of such an interesting group of people...
I'm glad to be here!

Bubba

Aloha everyone. I'm new to the forums and wanted to say hello. I started collecting Tiki mugs a couple years ago when I lived in Tucson and frequented KonTiki. Then I helped a friend build a nice outdoor Tiki bar and became the regular mixologist for frequent Tiki parties at his place. Now I've moved back to Southern California (the Inland Empire) and have to start over building a new bar.

I'm also looking for like-minded Tiki enthusiasts in the Inland Empire (Redlands area) to socialize with.

Mahalo.

-TikiPhD

Aloha everyone, I was formerly luau63 here and I'm back after about ten years. Great to see some of the original or older users here. Just about zero Tiki here in central Louisiana, either thrifts or places. Lots to catch up on. Mahalo - johnny velvet

Hi. New kid on the beach. Don't know much about Tiki (yet), but I'm an avid thrifter who has managed to accumulate a nice little collection. I can tell this forum is going to be a useful resource.

Aloha!

Longtime Lurker finally signing on with the longest running Tiki Party on the Internet!

Got into Tiki like many, by way of the cocktails. Have been seriously (as seriously as drinking gets anyway) pursuing that aspect of Tiki culture as an avid hobby mixologist for about eight years. Living on the east-central coast of Florida and doing my best to elevate cocktail culture and consciousness among the poor unwashed masses.

Mahalo!

Lots of new people. Welcome aboard. Jump right into the threads and enjoy.

• Dale

sunny/rummy, where on the east cost are ye?

On 2013-06-13 18:15, thePorpoise wrote:
sunny/rummy, where on the east cost are ye?

Live in Melbourne, work in Fort Pierce. How about you?

eta: Duh, now I see you are in Tampa. Did you make the St. Pete sunset tiki event earlier this month? We tried to pull it off but ended up saving our strength (and money) for Hukilau.

[ Edited by: Sunny&Rummy 2013-06-13 19:57 ]

no, wish i had. there are a few posters here that are out your way i think.

Aloha all. I am new to this site coming to you from sunny So. Cal. I found this looking for ideas on what to do with some palm trees in my backyard I want to have removed. Figured it would be cheaper and less of a mess to have them stay in the ground land just have them cut down to about 5-6' height and have them carved. The problem seems to be that I have queen palms and I have read that they rot to fast. Anyone have any suggestions?

Hi all

Enjoying the site & hope to be contributing :)

Hope you enjoy the pic below of a little mug I purchased recently.

PM me if you live in the West Midlands or the UK in general!

Check me out :)

[ Edited by: AdOrAdam 2013-06-16 09:53 ]

Aloha everyone! Been lurking on here for a year or so and now that we're getting more involved I figured I would join, especially since everyone always asks if we're on here. So now we are. We live in sunny SoCal(Long Beach) and have enjoyed meeting people and hope to meet some more. Mahalo!

On 2013-06-16 09:48, AdOrAdam wrote:
Hi all

Enjoying the site & hope to be contributing :)

Hope you enjoy the pic below of a little mug I purchased recently.

PM me if you live in the West Midlands or the UK in general!

---

Check me out :)

[ Edited by: AdOrAdam 2013-06-16 09:53 ]

Welcome Adam,

I live in Sheffield

Cheers,

Joe.

On 2013-06-11 13:54, Dax wrote:
Evening all (well it's evening in the UK anyway).
New to the forum so just saying hello.
Just starting to collect tikis and have begun the job of redesigning the decor in the house and garden a bit.

Hi Dax,

I'm Joe, and I live in the UK as well...

You can see my home bar by searching Moku Hei Hei, maybe some inspiration on there for you.

Cheers,
Joe.

Aloha and Mahalo everyone. I've been on here since last year under a different name, but realized there was another user who had been a part of this "Polypop" thing for a very long time under a very similar handle, so I've re-registered using my Tonga Hut Grog Log name.

In any case I wanted to officially say hi to everyone and thank all of you old schoolers for all the inspiration and knowledge I've gotten out of these forums. I've already met some great people out in the real world in this scene and hope to meet more of you.

I plan to create a posting for my home bar/lounge "The Polynesian Guard" that I have been working on since last summer, I just have to organize all of my before pics and then take some good shots of where it is now.

--- Myles

Aloha all,

My name is Bryce, and I've been a lurker of Tiki Central for years and years - finally decided to come join in the conversation. Wife and I just bought a new home with the perfect finished basement to convert to my own little lounge - and I'm excited! Finally a place to display all those strange artifacts I've been collecting in storage! :)

I'm a long time Polynesian pop-culture fan and onetime bartender that tried to advocate proper mixology. I also am co-host and producer of the show "Taverncast" (www.taverncast.com) which is riddled with plenty of Tiki / fifties pop-culture / retro goodness - centered around good drinks and off-the-wall topics. Check it out if you're looking for something to pass your drive-time with.

Look forward to chatting with you guys. Hope you're all having a great summer of '13.

On 2013-06-23 15:53, KingTikizilla wrote:
Aloha all,

My name is Bryce, and I've been a lurker of Tiki Central for years and years - finally decided to come join in the conversation. Wife and I just bought a new home with the perfect finished basement to convert to my own little lounge - and I'm excited! Finally a place to display all those strange artifacts I've been collecting in storage! :)

I'm a long time Polynesian pop-culture fan and onetime bartender that tried to advocate proper mixology. I also am co-host and producer of the show "Taverncast" (www.taverncast.com) which is riddled with plenty of Tiki / fifties pop-culture / retro goodness - centered around good drinks and off-the-wall topics. Check it out if you're looking for something to pass your drive-time with.

Look forward to chatting with you guys. Hope you're all having a great summer of '13.

Welcome! Going to check it out now, and really looking forward to seeing your buildout in the forum. Just a little FYI, apparently you guys let taverncaststore.com lapse, because it's some random Japanese spam site now.

ALOHA!

Hello all. I'm TropShop. Coming to you from sunny Southern California. Ben lurking for a bit while enjoying this awesome forum. Great peeps and lots and lots of info here. Hope to be a great contributor and even more of an information sponge. Tiki On!!!

Howdy from Ft Myers Florida. I found this site while looking for Lemon Hart 151. I can't wait to delve deep in to the knowledge here.

Storm

let us know if you find the LH 151, havent located any around Tampa Bay...

Hello Tiki Central!

Just discovered the website and fell in love! I've always had an affinity for Atomic-Age Living, Tiki culture, Martin Denny, and rum. I am an ordained minister AND bartender at the swanky 21C Hotel in Bentonville, AR. Love the vibe of the site and I look forward to contributing!

On 2013-07-02 22:31, Retrotender wrote:
Hello Tiki Central!

Just discovered the website and fell in love! I've always had an affinity for Atomic-Age Living, Tiki culture, Martin Denny, and rum. I am an ordained minister AND bartender at the swanky 21C Hotel in Bentonville, AR. Love the vibe of the site and I look forward to contributing!

A-LOOOOOOOOOO-HA! Swanky hotel. Museum hotel though? Interesting.....

Is this you then?

[ Edited by: Hale Tiki 2013-07-03 08:32 ]

Aloha everyone! Glad to be here and have been meaning to get on board for a while! My friends and I had a BLAST at Ohana - Luau at the Lake (Lake George, NY) this past weekend!

On 2013-07-03 08:31, Hale Tiki wrote:
A-LOOOOOOOOOO-HA! Swanky hotel. Museum hotel though? Interesting.....

Is this you then?

[ Edited by: Hale Tiki 2013-07-03 08:32 ]

Aloha to you, Hale Tiki! Thanks for the greetings! The hotel is a museum of contemporary artists from the 21st Century (hence the name of the hotel). There is art everywhere-in the galleries (of course), throughout the bar lounge and restaurant, in the rooms, everywhere! It's quite unique and tons of fun! No, that photo is not me but another mondo talented bartender I work with. I just joined the team about 6 weeks ago and am feverishly working on a rum cocktail to add to the specialty drink menu as, alas, there is nary a one to be found on it!

Hi all,

My name is Don and I'm form NZ, I am new to tiki.

I joined to learn more about the history and the lifestyle that we all like and live

On 2013-07-02 21:29, thePorpoise wrote:
let us know if you find the LH 151, havent located any around Tampa Bay...

Tiki Iniki on Kauai has some :wink:

Hello, been viewing threads occasionally and finally decided it was time to sign up. I live in New England.... far, far away from most tiki, and none of my friends or family are into it so I'm really happy about sites like this, Ooga Mooga and others that are out there. Started collecting mugs a couple years ago and now I'm hooked and looking forward to learning more about tiki culture.

I have been regular lurker for quite some time....decided to finally sign up! I have lived at the beach most of my life so I am an island girl. My love of tiki started when I was a child in the 60s and my grandparents (who travelled extensively) would come home with tiki mugs and swizzle sticks from all of the tropical destinations. They had them on display on shelfs around the ceiling in their basement and I loved to look at them.

So flash forward and here I am. Looking forward to getting to meet some of you in the future! Anyone in NE Florida give me a shout :)

I was first introduced to Tiki culture by my favorite older brother, who carved a Tiki necklace in woodshop, around the time I was born. He was shipped overseas in the Air Force, when I was eight. I asked if I could have his Tiki necklace until he returned...assuming that if I had one of his most prized posessions, he HAD to return alive. I named the necklace Hotep Nefti, from a Gidget episode, where a Tiki broke a curse. My brother returned 18 months later, and let me keep his Tiki, which I had worn almost every day while he was gone. My brother passed away ten years ago, and my life situation changed, where I had to put a number of things in storage. Hotep Nefti was safely placed in the jewelry box that my brother brought back from Asia, for me. Last year, I discovered that the storage unit had been broken into and ransacked...and my jewelry box was among the items missing...and I assumed that Hotep Nefti was gone. A good friend of mine, gave me a silver Tiki necklace that he used to wear, to ease my pain. Last month, while going through boxes in storage, I found Hotep Nefti...and we have been celebrating it's return to my life ever since. If I could have ANY item to best remember my brother by, it would be Hotep Nefti. I do Tiki to honor my brother and the bond we had.

In the near-future, I am looking forward to attending the Tonga Hut 55th Anniversary, the new Ven-Tiki, Tiki Oasis, visiting The Spare Room, Cruising on The Tiki Mermaid, and many other upcoming events.

Native Angelino, having grown up "on the beach."

Ho-Tep-Nefti
Tiki Goddess Extraordinaire

[ Edited by: Ho-Tep-Nefti 2013-07-08 08:20 ]

[ Edited by: Ho-Tep-Nefti 2013-07-23 11:10 ]

[ Edited by: Ho-Tep-Nefti 2013-07-23 11:16 ]

[ Edited by: Ho-Tep-Nefti 2013-07-23 11:22 ]

[ Edited by: Ho-Tep-Nefti 2013-08-02 07:28 ]

Great story.

Welcome new Tiki Central members.

Hello to all. I have just signed up after reading an article about someone who turned their garage into a tiki bar. I am in the process of making one for an outside area next to my swimming pool. It was going to be a surf shack but after a trip to the states for Viva Las Vegas in 2012 (where I got my first tiki tattoo) it has been changed to a tiki bar area. We started with an old bar and added some bamboo and a thatch style roof. We have bought a few tiki statues and even had a local nursery, who do carving, make one out of sandstone. I have taken some photos along the way and will try to attach them to this post. The next step is dressing up the area with all the tiki things we have collected, mugs, signs and various other items. Any suggestions would be appreciated. We are off to Hawaii in September and hope to get more items.

The raw bar

Stripping it down

With no top

Adding bamboo

The top sanded back

The roof section

The chosen area

The surf theme is changed

The bar is set in place

Preparing the area

Bamboo wall all done

Footloose. Looks like you've got a good start there. If you want, make yourself a thread over on Home Bars. You can post updates there. There's lots to explore on the site, and countless hours of reading. Take some time, read, join us!

A-LO-HA!

Hi, I am a new user. We are on vacation in the Orlando, FL area and looking for tiki bar materials and accessories in the area. Any suggestions?

Footloose Tiki,
your bar and room look great so far!

Hi guys I have been poking around on tikicentral for a few weeks, awesome forum I'm inspired to make my own home tiki bar now thanks for all the great ideas !

Footloose that bar is great! One of my neighbors has an old beat-up bar sitting in their garage - I may have to make it mine!

Hello, I found this site one night staying up late looking for a way to make my backyard better. I saw a picture of an "adventure land" backyard bar, which led me hear. Saw some great ideas and started to ad to my backyard. I will post some pictures as soon as I can figure this whole thing out. Love this. Thanks

Hi All,

My name is Jeremy Costello. I'm a woodcarver and watercolor artist. I've always loved Polyneisian themed and tiki art, and have relatively recently jumped in with some work of my own. In fact, I'll be in attendance with some of my goods and artwork at the Tonga Hut's 55th Anniversary Celebration on July 21st. I've been working on a variety of pieces, and I would love to know what you think. For a preview, stop by my website: http://www.jeremycostello.com - and if you are in the LA area on the weekend of July 21st, definitely stop by the Tonga Hut and say hi!

jeremycostello
theRestlessNative
http://www.jeremycostello.com

Nice work on those tikis. I like how you used the natural feature of the knot indent for the mouth on the one that looks like a moai, it gives the impression he's whistling or having an "Oh my!" kind of reaction.

Welcome to TC all you new folks.

On 2013-07-10 13:08, theRestlessNative wrote:

jeremycostello
theRestlessNative
http://www.jeremycostello.com

Dig, man. Looks like you better start a thread under Gallery, and Crafts!