Tur Mai Kai Kalamazoo MI.

Nice work Uncle Trav. I have enjoyed my time at the Santa Barbra library digging into the Tiki past here.

DC

On 2015-03-02 17:40, Dustycajun wrote:
Nice work Uncle Trav. I have enjoyed my time at the Santa Barbra library digging into the Tiki past here.

DC

Thanks DC I know you have hit gold with your research. Now folks here is the first time I have heard of an upscale Tiki establishment being held up at gun point but here's the proof. Twice!!

A bump to one of the best historical research posts on Tiki Central from Uncle Trav. Some old ads from the Tur Mai Kai.

Mother's Day

Easter

Polynesian Smorgasbord

Live entertainment at the Aloha lounge

Chicken Moo Goo.

DC

Thank you DC. You sir are too kind. Those are a great addition to the thread. Where did you find the ads?

Here is a nice little item. My mom picked this badge and ribbon up years ago at a Chinese New Year party at the Tur Mai Kai. The owners named the year after themselves. The year of the Lums. The 4672 translates to 1975.

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2016-07-16 04:51 ]

Tim to bump this great thread.

Here are two newspaper ads with the entertainment at the Tur Mai Kai.

Nice shot of the Polynesian revue on the bridge

And the Polynesians.

Also an ad for the subsequent Hidden Village.

DC

Awesome ads DC! Where did you find those if I may ask? Always cool to see new TMK stuff turn up.

I just moved to Kalamazoo a couple of years ago, and as a Tiki fan, I was disheartened to not find anything in the area. But pouring over this thread fills me with happiness - thank you all for archiving this gorgeous restaurant!

Just when you think the story is all wrapped up something else pops up. Nothing earth shaking but a piece of the story. This is a shot off the web and not my discovery but I will post it here for posterity. Yup just a cup.

A small coffeehouse newspaper had a nice write up about the TMK a while back. A nice article but no new information. Mainly a “remember when” piece. I think the images are ones I posted from one of many many archive trips. Nice to see someone cared enough to print an article. Still finding the odd treasure now and then but still a rare thrill.

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2019-05-09 14:10 ]

I have been chasing the ghosts of the Tur Mai Kai for nearly fourteen years now. Every now and then an apparition will appear and offer a clue to the disappearing history of this tiki temple. Last weekend one of those ghosts materialized at a secondhand store less than a mile from where the TMK once stood. I found a beautiful PNG style carved and painted mask. I was blown away be my good fortune! I sent photos of the mask to Oceanic Arts for thoughts on the authenticity of the piece as I suspected it was from their shop. I received a reply from Bob Van Oosting that it was indeed a vintage mask from their shop and carved by legendary artist LeRoy Schmaltz!! Everything lines up to this being an original piece that once graced the walls of the Tur Mai Kai. Artifacts from the TMK are rare indeed and very hard to come by. As far as I know this is the only tangible piece of the extensive original decor to come to light so far. The mask is now the centerpiece of my collection and will serve both as a tribute to the Tur Mai Kai and the artistry of LeRoy Schmaltz. It’s been a long road to get this far and I haven’t seen an exit sign in the last fourteen years. My tank has been refilled and I’ll keep enjoying the ride.

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2019-11-23 05:58 ]

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2019-11-23 09:00 ]

Congrats on your find! That’s truly a beautiful piece!

Great find and a beautiful piece carved by Leroy.

Awesome!
Hey here's an idea, when I had Kahiki tables lights etc. I would put in pencil "from the world famous Kahiki" Or "from the Kahiki" so that years from after I would own it there would be a clue as to where it came from should I not be there to tell the story.

Only once or twice was this removed because of the buyer not being a fan of er Tikiskip as they would know they bought it from me.
Ha!

Maybe even a note taped to the back.

Great find!!

Thanks guys. Skip you and I are on the same wavelength! I have written down the info for the piece on an index card. Going to get a couple of push tacks and put it on the back. I have put index cards in my vintage tiki mugs with info as well. After I kick the bucket folks will know what they have for the garage sale :D

"I have put index cards in my vintage tiki mugs with info as well."

Har!
I do that too, it just saves somebody working to find out about this stuff, and heck may raise the price even if we are dead and it won't help us.

I’d thought I’d share part of an email that I received back in 2007. I contacted Oceanic Arts searching for in formation they might provide about outfitting the TMK back in 1969. One of the articles I have posted earlier in the thread states that the interior cost $75,000 at that time. The email gives a tiny glimpse into how the interiors of some of the great Polynesian restaurants were laid out. No architects or plans. Most likely no suits and ties and endless meetings and emails and an army of hands in the pie. Just a couple of guys with sketch pads and a hell of a lot of vision and imagination. And after all that installing the interior themselves with the help of the bartending staff. It was a simpler time some may say but turning a hollow box into an indoor Polynesian village on the scale these folks worked in was and still is a rare art form practiced and accomplished by a very few.

Great score uncle trav! I know there was a sale right before the place was torn down, so there are additional pieces of original decor floating around (lamps, rail posts, other architectural elements, etc).

On 2019-11-23 05:54, uncle trav wrote:
I have been chasing the ghosts of the Tur Mai Kai for nearly fourteen years now. Every now and then an apparition will appear and offer a clue to the disappearing history of this tiki temple. Last weekend one of those ghosts materialized at a secondhand store less than a mile from where the TMK once stood. I found a beautiful PNG style carved and painted mask. I was blown away be my good fortune! I sent photos of the mask to Oceanic Arts for thoughts on the authenticity of the piece as I suspected it was from their shop. I received a reply from Bob Van Oosting that it was indeed a vintage mask from their shop and carved by legendary artist LeRoy Schmaltz!! Everything lines up to this being an original piece that once graced the walls of the Tur Mai Kai. Artifacts from the TMK are rare indeed and very hard to come by. As far as I know this is the only tangible piece of the extensive original decor to come to light so far. The mask is now the centerpiece of my collection and will serve both as a tribute to the Tur Mai Kai and the artistry of LeRoy Schmaltz. It’s been a long road to get this far and I haven’t seen an exit sign in the last fourteen years. My tank has been refilled and I’ll keep enjoying the ride.

---

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2019-11-23 05:58 ]

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2019-11-23 09:00 ]

On 2019-12-07 14:34, boutiki wrote:
Great score uncle trav! I know there was a sale right before the place was torn down, so there are additional pieces of original decor floating around (lamps, rail posts, other architectural elements, etc).

---

Hi Duke. Nice to hear from you. It’s been a long time since we ran into each other. I missed that closing sale by a day. Hopefully more treasures will surface. I’m always on the lookout.

Great score Trav, could not have gone to a more deserving individual!

DC

Thought we'd share some pics of the Tur Mai Kai late in its life (when it had become the Peking Palace). These photos were taken in 2003 (hence the quality) and show the devolution of the once majestic Tiki Temple. Note the drop ceiling covering the top half of the Moai fireplace.

[ Edited by boutiki on 2022-04-04 09:06:48 ]

Nice to hear from you Duke. Hope all has been well for you and your family. Nothing gets me fired up like some new pics of the TMK. Anything added to the story is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the post Amy! Definitely not an iPhone in sight!

Time to pump some vintage history back into the threads. Found these images of hand drawn renderings for the proposed interior of the Tur Mai Kai offered in the Oceanic Arts auction. The winning bid was above my pay grade. I contacted Bob from OA back in 2007 with some questions about the TMK project where he stated that no blueprints were used for the interior design just drawings submitted for the owners approval. Well folks here they are. Another piece of the historic puzzle. I’ve included the email

[ Edited by uncle trav on 2023-06-11 06:22:01 ]

Great historic addition Trav...too bad you couldn't score them.

Great find, Uncle Trav! It's such a shame Bob and LeRoy didn't get more photos and follow ups back in the day, but it makes us grateful for all the stuff they did get -- they were building and doing so much it's easy to see how it would be hard to document it all as much as we would have wanted them to. That fireplace detail is very Kahikiesque indeed. Ditto the ceiling-hung outrigger. This is such an interesting thread. And ... what is with the use of "Mai Kai" in Michigan tiki bars? Immediately the Mai Kai Lounge in Tecumseh came to mind. I wonder if they opened at around the same time? (Last update on the state of MKL is not a sight for the squeamish...)

[ Edited by mike and marie on 2023-06-13 15:42:40 ]

[ Edited by mike and marie on 2023-06-13 15:44:23 ]

[ Edited by mike and marie on 2023-06-13 15:45:29 ]

Tur Mai Kai opened in 1969 and Mai Kai Lounge opened in 1971 if I remember correctly. At least I was able to document the Mai Kai Lounge back in 2007 before the ultimate downfall. At that point it was a time machine survivor.

https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic_id=26308&start=0

Not much going on with vintage tiki history anymore. I first posted on this thread 18 years ago and still a new find shows up. The only marked drink vessel for the Tur Mai Kai was the large hurricane glass but I never knew what it was for. Mystery solved. The drink served in the glass was the ‘Island In The Sun’. Thought I’d add it to the story.

Not much going on with vintage tiki history anymore. I first posted on this thread 18 years ago and still a new find shows up. The only marked drink vessel for the Tur Mai Kai was the large hurricane glass but I never knew what it was for. Mystery solved. The drink served in the glass was the ‘Island In The Sun’. Thought I’d add it to the story.