kona kai philadelphia originals!!

i have recently stumbled across the original tiki statues from the kona kai philadelphia!! well it was actually a couple months ago and the woman running the counter didn't seem too happy about me inquiring about them!? but she assured me they were from 'the old tiki bar out on the mainline' the location of the original marriott kona kai! she mumbled the price range which i thought at the time was a little high for my wallet.. but perhaps i should go look again.. they were really obscured so i doubt anyone is going to 'impulse' buy them, let alone find them!!
any big time spenders/collectors out there want the location?

I am very interested. I had heard about the existence of these years ago. That dealer must have been sitting on them a long time, probably because they want outrageous money for them.

Aloha Ekman!

What is the price range for them?

Can you get pictures?

Do let us know.

YES, photos and more detailed descriptions please. We wouldn't be interested in buying them but we do want to know if they are similar to the one we bought last year from the old Kansas City location. (do a search on our first post to read about that). Someone on TC really must pursue this and get them safely into a proper collection!! C'mon folks...This sounds like a rescue mission! Are there any other Kona Kai items there besides the carvings??

WOW!! Must be nice.

Hmm...I do have really tall ceilings in this old house. Please tell us more.

I am guessing that they are hardwood, not palm. I have the blueprints for some, from Armet and Davis, designed by Irving Weisenberg (BOT p.245, compare to entrance Tikis on page 140). I am not sure if OA carved them, or who did.

Since that Kona Kai was the flagship of the chain, they must be pretty nice. I am guessing the prices in the range of over grand each?

Then again, if you look at the Tiki post on page 141 of the BOT, the design might not always be that great, that one looks kind of too square to me.

I wonder what happened to the glass paintings behind the bar...

hello all.. i thought that may have generated some interest! i will be heading that way this friday and will check them out again.. hopefully get some shots and ask a few more questions and generally make sure they're still around!! let's keep our fingers crossed..
from what i remember they looked very well done, very dark and ranged in height.
are there any particulars i should question?

Yeah, you should question their high price! :)
Since they have been sitting on them for years, recommend them to make the Tikis "priced to sell", (i.e. affordable to us).
Damn thing is, they probably have my book...

Any shots would be appreciated. Hmmmm...If they had other things like lamps from the place they have probably sold them by now...

.. yes unfortunately i didn't see any other items but i'll have to inquire a little further...

btw. bigbrotiki i thoroughly enjoyed your book.. i thought of you instantly when i saw them lurking out at me.. (having had a great section on the kona kai in your book)

Ekman,
Don't talk price, just ask. Don't make like you really want them and try to take the pics without a flash and so no one knows you are doing it.
If someone wants to buy, you might tip these folks off and make it harder.
When I went in on my Guanko, it had been there for years at $800-900 bucks. I went in and found the owner and acted like I knew nothing. Said "$600" he said yes, I paid, and then told him what it was.
Try not to get their attention or you may drive up the price for someone who really wants to buy.
DO NOT EVER MENTION BOT!!!! It's still a weak market really and we need to keep it that way for us lovers, and not make it a "collectors" world. Yes, we are collectors, but not capital C collectors. Most everyone on this board still has a hard time paying $20 for a mug...

i'm very interested (depending upon the price).

my plan would be to use these in a public setting in new jersey.

i live relatively near philly (i'm in monmouth county, nj) & could maybe help you lugging these babies around or sneaking photos, etc.

feel free to pm or email me.

thanks for the tip,
tiki chris

Count me in as VERY interested. I'll be traveling in that area soon and would love to bring one home!

-Z

ok good tips..
keep in mind the woman sort of scoffed at me when i inquired about their asking price like she had sized me up or something... "in the thousands" i believe she replied..
i did read that these particular kona kai tikis were filled with solid gold.... i think she may be on to us!

stay tuned for friday...

ok... so i should maybe move this thread to the one i've already started about the 'Pub Tiki'. i am trying to find any interior shots that may exsist from this increasingly amazing deceased restaurant.
i have returned from the antique shop and have inquired about the 5 massive tikis. the owner is now telling me that most are from the 'Pub Tiki' (that used to be on 1718 walnut street and not the kona kai that was out towards the mainline area..sorry for the confusion but i was told erronously from another staffer there), one is from australia? and another from a restaurant? entitled 'Langer's' (or something that sounds like that) that closed "over forty years ago" in Malvern, PA.
so who knows what to think.. but i guess thats part of the thrill trying to put all these pieces together!
i will include a link below to some pics i snapped.. they are not taken at the best angle as they were perched really high, probably one of the reasons that he's had them for so long without sale.... the other reason being that he wants .. $5500 for the larger to $2500 for the smaller ones!!!!!!
they are authentic though.. you just feel it eminating from these amazingly detailed figures.. check out the one on the left!

http://www.netwt.org/tiki.html

The Maori looking tiki on the left is great! I guess for the money they're asking for him he should do more than just stand there and look fierce!

$5,500? is that all?

I'll take 2!

-Z

(as soon as my rich uncle gets out of the poor house)

[ Edited by: feelin' zombified on 2004-03-26 20:21 ]

Yeah...those are definitely not Kona Kai statues...WHERE did I put this guy's phone number, damn...
He has a tatoo studio in Philly, and knew someone who was offering them...

Anyway THESE are nice, and now it seems even more urgent to find interior shots of the pub tiki, to maybe match them up. Ekman, can't you make contact with the owner family through the now owner of the last pub standing? They must have SOMETHING that shows the place in their attic...

Still these carvings are not SO amazing that I would shell out that kinda dough for them.

i was thinking about contacting the owner of the pub and seeing if he has anything or.. about opening up a new one!
are you talking about the tattoo tiki place off south street in philly? the owner has a nice tiki statue in the window.. i wonder if its authentic.. it does look very well done.. hmm
i'll have to get you the number..

On 2004-03-26 19:12, ekman spiral wrote:
a restaurant? entitled 'Langer's' (or something that sounds like that) that closed "over forty years ago" in Malvern, PA.

Probably Langerman's Luau, Narberth, Pa. (I have a moai mug from there. I don't know where in Narberth the restaurant was located.)

I'm a day early on my savage archaeology thingie but I'm gonna be gone all day tomorrow. Hope this qualifies.

At our luau last night my great friends got together and had an original menu from the Philadelphia Mariott Kona Kai framed for me. Even better is that they framed it in such a way that you can still flip through it. One of my friends was hanging onto this menu since he was a little kid and he says it's ca. 1980.

Here's some pics for you menu fans. I can send full-sized images to whomever wants them.

[ Edited by: pappythesailor 2009-01-07 11:45 ]

I love how you can have normal ice cream for one price, or Haagen-Dazs brand for .50 more -- that sounds mid-'80s to me!

Cool menu, thanks for posting it.

the owner of the tattoo shop on 4th street off of south is Biily Funk son of the famous Philadephia Eddie they both have multiple shops around south street . the one off of south is all hawaiian themed . His girlfriend runs it, she is from hawaii and they also have a shop on one of the islands.

Just ran across this thread about the Pub Tiki.

The Pub Tiki I believe closed in the 80's, it was one of 5 restaurants owned by the same group but the others were not Tiki themed.

The Pub on the Airport Circle in Pennsauken is the last remaining restaurant of the group and is owned by a member of the family of the original owners, maybe he has some Pub Tiki photos.