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Does anybody have info on Bamboo Villa in New Orleans, LA?

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So, I recently spent some time in New Orleans and came across this mug in an antique store. The old woman that sold me the mug said she remembered Bamboo Villa being a place but that was all she seemed to know. After doing some research I found very little about the place: another mug marked Bamboo Villa, and mention from Brad Owens (of the late Hale Tiki in Augusta) that he had met a guy that said he owned Bamboo Villa in the '60s. So, I'm wondering if anybody knows anything more about the place.

All I've been able to find so far is that it was called Bamboo Villa and it was located in the French Quarter of New Orleans at some point during the '60s.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[ Edited by: TheDrunkenTiki 2015-02-14 22:29 ]

I swear I saw that same mug, were you on Magazine St? Anyhow, it made do the same search and I pretty much came up empty. The only thing that I can add is that the mug is most likely a Johnny Sens design, a local NOLA artist in the 60s. Here's the closest match I could find on Ooga-Mooga
http://www.ooga-mooga.com/cgi-bin/all/mug.cgi?mode=view&mug_id=4627

Yes, I found it in an antique store on Magazine. It was a bit pricey but I managed to talk the woman down. I know it's a Johnny Sens mug but that's all I've been able to determine. The only other things I could find about it were these:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=29982&forum=5&vpost=487148

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=19015&forum=12&vpost=224517&hilite=bamboo%20villa

[ Edited by: TheDrunkenTiki 2015-02-16 15:39 ]

Oh nice score! Yeah, it was way too much for my blood but I did pick up a yellow Johnny Sens mug for around $20, so I was happy.

Those are the same threads I found. I was also surprised to find no mention of it on Critiki. I can only guess it wasn't around for long. I'm sure someone on here will chime in at some point with more info

I was a member years ago but had to re register (same name) for unknown reasons?

Nice photographs!

I remember going to most of the places mentioned here as a child/teenager. I have some mugs, matchbooks and swizzle sticks.

The only one I don't recognize is "Bamboo Villa". I believe Barney's was a seafood restaurant.

Bali Ha'i had a distinct accent to the name unlike others with that same title.

I posted this ages ago, it's the blue tiki bowl my grandmother got in the 1960's? from Bali Ha'i. What a fantastic place as was Pontchartrain Beach amusement park attached/next door.

Ha!
I've looked at that same pricey Bamboo Villa mug on Magazine every time I go to New Orleans - and every time I ask my NOLA friend-who-knows-NOLA-tiki if she knows anything about it, and it's always no!
Glad you talked them down in price :wink:

Pages: 1 5 replies